Danone’s specialized nutrition production site in Brazil gets environmental nod from Carbon Trust

09 Jul 2021 --- Danone specialized nutrition production site in Brazil has received a landmark certification marking it as the first company production facility certified by the Carbon Trust. It has been identified for three environmental goals, including carbon neutrality, water reduction and zero-waste to landfill.

This is another step forward in Danone’s sustainability agenda, which includes efforts to reach zero net carbon emissions across its entire value chain by 2050, notes the company.

Located in Poços de Caldas in Brazil, Danone’s specialized nutrition plant producing milk formula and medical nutrition products is the company’s first production site in the world to meet Danone’s sustainability goals.

The site has been certified by the Carbon Trust, an independent global climate change and sustainability consultancy, as carbon neutral, zero-waste to landfill and reducing water consumption, as part of Danone’s broader ambition to achieve water circularity.

 “Danone has had sustainability at its core since day one, as reflected in our investment into local communities, the commitment of our employees, and our collaboration with partners. We are proud that this work has been certified by the Carbon Trust with this triple certification in Poços de Caldas and look forward to the next steps on our journey to achieve zero net carbon emissions by 2050,” says Edson Higo, CEO of Danone Brazil.

 Reducing carbon emissions
In collaboration with both employees and external partners, Danone Poços de Caldas, Brazil firmly moved toward Danone’s environmental commitments by curbing carbon emissions: the energy-efficient facility operates fully on renewable electricity, part of which is generated by the 1,500 solar panels covering parking lots and walkways at the plant. 

The remaining direct carbon emissions of the plant as well as those resulting from employee commutes have been fully offset by supporting conservation projects developed by BioFilica, a Brazilian company focused on forest management and conservation.

Danone aims at preserving water resources where it operates and ensuring water circularity in and around its production sites. 

The Poços de Caldas site has installed a rainwater collection and treatment system harvesting around four million liters of rainwater per year to ensure the site is self-sufficient with regards to its water needs, thus protecting local water resources.

Net-zero rollout
Achieving zero-waste to landfill: to achieve zero-waste to landfill, the production site has minimized its waste generation and then separated it into defined streams to maximize recycling and ensure that 100 percent of all waste generated is recovered.

The certifications of the Poços de Caldas plant are part of a wider set of actions taken by Danone Brazil to meet its ambitious sustainability goals. These actions led to Danone Brazil becoming the first large food and beverage company in Brazil to obtain the B CorpTM certification in March 2021. 

This achievement is aligned with Danone’s ambition to become a Certified B CorpTM globally, in line with our long-term commitment to sustainable business.

 “Danone Brazil’s B Corp certification and the achievement at our Specialized Nutrition production site are key milestones in our journey to meet company-wide environmental goals, but not the final destination,” continues Higo.

“We will continue to focus further efficiency efforts and investments on all our production sites in Brazil to create sustainable value for all and protect our planet.” 

Committed to reaching zero net carbon emissions across its entire value chain by 2050, Danone is working to ensure all its production sites worldwide follow the same path and ultimately reduce their environmental impact.

Edited by Gaynor Selby