Sarah Müller+Project

This project aims to monitor the water and energy consumption of French companies in the food industry. Furthermore waste production and greenhous gas emissions of those companies are researched here.

Research Question: Is Danone Group successful in meeting the Sustainable Development Goals that it has set for itself?

According to their website, Danone is focused on 3 pillars of sustainable development – healthier eating, serving everyone and for a sustainable world. Danone seeks to promote healthier eating by designing food that is better and more nutritious for the people. Danone also aims to make a positive impact on millions of people, from employees to customers. To achieve that, Danone is committed to sustainable production and use of natural resources to achieve its long-term goal of net zero carbon.

The company's total energy consumption has been 4800 gigajoules in 2016. Danone wanted cut its carbon footprint by 30% in the four years to 2012.To protect climate Danone saved 7 million tons of CO2 in 2016 on their direct scope of responsibility. Additionally, Danone reduced 50.1% of CO2 intensity since 2007 on their direct scope of responsibility and 50% of target in intensity by 2030 on their full scope of responsibility. In 2016 Danone has produced an amount of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of 23000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent. Danone has been indirectly responsible for an amount of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of 915,746 tons of CO2 equivalent in 2015.

Regarding to the goal to save water, Danone has achieved 100% compliance in all sites discharging wastewater to nature by 2020 and 60% reduction of water consumption in factories by 2020 vs 2000 baseline. 100% of their waters division sites run spring audit by 2020 for natural water ressources protection. The company has withdrawn 71 000 cubic metres water in 2016.

Another goal of Danone is to reduce used packaging material and waste produced by packaging. The organization has generated a total amount of waste of 434,000 metric tonnes in 2016. Therefore Danone wants to use already 25% rPET by 2020 in water plastic bottles. 100% of Danone’s paper and board are sourced from responsibly managed forests. 10 priority countries of Danone have already implemented a "turn waste into resource" plan by 2020.

One key issue when environmental protection and food production meet is agriculture. That is why Danone wants to implement a sustainable agriculture. 140,000 farmers supply their milk to Danone every day. Danone targets that 75% those will be sustainable by 2020. In a Sustainable sourcing roadmap the origin of milk is reported since end of 2016.

Danone Group focuses on these Sustainable Development Goals: SDG3 Good Health and Well Being, SDG6 Clean Water and Sanitation, SDG8 Decent Work and Economic Growth, SDG12 Responsible Consumption and Production, SDG13 Climate Action and SDG14 Life Below Water.

by Miram Gomaa and Sarah Müller

(Metrics are answered via the account of Miram Gomaa in the

project: PRME Data collection - core metrics for universities)