Danone’s commitment to regenerative farming for a sustainable future

Driving food system transformation

The global food system today is facing a convergence of unprecedented challenges that threaten its capacity to feed a growing population. Climate change is driving extreme and unpredictable weather conditions, while environmental degradation accelerates the decline in global soil health and water quality. Biodiversity is decreasing at an alarming rate, contributing to the destabilizing of ecosystems. Simultaneously, water scarcity is increasing, adding to the strain on agricultural productivity. What's more endemic poverty among farmers creates increasingly difficult conditions for food production.

All of these challenges are interconnected and largely a consequence of decades of conventional farming. If we continue on this path, within 50 years, we will struggle to find enough arable topsoil to feed 9 billion people. This underscores the urgent need to embrace a different farming model, one that can transform agriculture from a challenge to a solution, and that ensures the resilience and future viability of our food systems

Supporting current and future livelihoods

As a food company, agriculture is at the core of what we do. That’s why it’s so important that we take care of the earth and natural resources. We are committed to growing food in a way that regenerates natural ecosystems, to ensure a positive impact on the climate and nature. Of equal importance is, that it is conscientious of animal health and welfare, and economically viable to ensure the livelihood of today's and tomorrow's farmers.

Our commitments

Accompanying our Danone Impact Journey in 2023, we released a number of commitments to continue to guide our journey to transitioning to sustainable agriculture:

Tackling Carbon & Methane: We aim to reduce our agricultural greenhouse gas (GHG) footprint by 30% compared to 2020, including a 30% absolute reduction in methane emissions from fresh milk by 2030, against a 2020 baseline
Sourcing through regenerative agriculture: We are committed to directly sourcing 30% of our key ingredients from farms that have started their transition to regenerative agriculture. This means farms with a scorecard level 1 and above on the Danone Reg Ag Scorecard. Fresh milk today is our main priority, and we will aim to progressively ensure that our other strategic raw materials (soy, almonds, oats, select fruits and vegetables) are derived from regenerative agriculture globally
Responsible water management: By 2030, we aim to achieve watershed preservation and restoration plans in highly water-stressed areas (100% of production sites)
Forests: By 2025, our goal is to have 100% of our direct supply chains be deforestation and conversion free
Ensuring animal welfare: By 2025, we will only source from farms that do not engage in dehorning or tail docking. And by 2030, we will end close confinement and permanent tethering for all farm animals, including cages, crates, and stalls

A holistic approach to regenerative agriculture

In 2017, we worked with World Wildlife Fund (WWF) France and other experts to define a holistic approach to regenerative agriculture that benefits nature, people, and animals. This collaboration enabled us to develop our definition of regenerative agriculture as an outcome-based, holistic approach that benefits the resilience of the climate, nature, animals, and farmers. Under the right conditions, regenerative agriculture can maximize protect and improve soil health, biodiversity, water resources, and the climate. In addition, it can strengthen animal welfare and support farming resilience as well as long-term profitability.

In 2021, Danone introduced two resources, the Danone Regenerative Agriculture Handbook and Scorecard, to support field technicians and practitioners to assess farmers’ level of adherence to regenerative agriculture practices, advise them on best practices, and develop continuous improvement plans. Since 2024, Danone has begun transitioning from the Danone Reg Ag Scorecard (DRASC) to the globally aligned SAI Platform's Regenerating Together Framework, which was published in September 2023.

Farmers and farm workers are the leading actors in the transition to regenerative agriculture, and we are committed to supporting them whether they are just starting on this journey or well on their way. At Danone, we work with farmers in a number of different geographies presenting, different farming systems, approaches, and challenges. Tailormade solutions are key. To start, we focus on choosing from 6 key levers: herd management, feed management, manure management, soil (for feed and crops), methane innovations, or other (energy, portfolio management, etc).

Since 2017, we have been working to transform the way our ingredients are sourced by supporting the transition to sustainable farm practices. We now have regenerative agriculture programs in our following geographic zones: Europe, North America, Latin America, "South Cone," and Africa, Middle East, and Asia (AMEA). See the map below for all of our projects.