Our Climate actions
Climate change is a profound, systemic challenge — not in the future, but right here, right now. Danone is meeting this challenge head on by aligning to the Science-Based Targets initiative and committing to net zero emissions by 2050.
Citizens today want companies to take a leading role in combatting climate change. Danone is determined to help lead an industry-wide transition to a low-carbon economy; this is why we pledged in our 2015 Climate Policy to reach net zero emissions by 2050 across our full value chain. Our net zero carbon commitment means that we are responsible for the carbon emissions from farms where we source our ingredients, to the facilities that manage the packaging, once our products are consumed.
Danone’s strategy to achieve net zero emissions is based on robust climate action and on helping to transform the food system – from how ingredients are grown, to how products are made and distributed, to what happens once people have used them - and offsetting the emissions that remain.
Emissions reduction targets validated by the Science-Based Targets initiative
Our first priority is to reduce carbon emissions on the three categories defined in the GHG Protocol Corporate Standard: Scopes 1, 2 and 3. See here for further information about those scopes.
In 2015 we were among the first 100 companies to engage on climate change following the Paris Agreement. We published our Climate Policy, in line with science-based recommendations and we set reduction targets for 2030, approved by the Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi) in 2017.
In September 2019, we strengthened our commitments through the signature of Business Ambition for 1.5°C pledge and worked closely with the SBTi on developing pathways for the forest, land and agriculture sector (FLAG project).
In 2022, our 1.5°C reduction targets were officially approved by SBTi, and Danone reaffirmed its commitment to accelerate our decarbonization journey, covering each and every scope of our direct and indirect emissions. We are also among the first companies to have a specific target on forest, land and agriculture.
As part of this journey towards net zero emissions, we set intermediate carbon reduction targets for 2030, from a 2020 baseline:
- to reduce absolute scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions 47.2%
- to reduce absolute scope 3 GHG emissions from purchased goods and services, fuel-and energy-related activities, upstream transportation and distribution, waste generated in operations, downstream transportation and distribution and end-of-life treatment of sold products 42%
- to reduce absolute scope 1 and 3 FLAG* GHG emissions 30.3%
- to achieve no deforestation across its primary deforestation-linked commodities with a target date of FY2025.
* FLAG stands for Forest, Land and Agriculture.
Finally, in 2023 we committed to a 30% reduction in our methane emissions from fresh milk by 2030, aligning our efforts with the Global Methane Pledge and reaffirming methane reduction as an essential pillar of the 1.5°C journey.
What are Science-Based Targets?
The Science-Based Targets initiative is a non-profit initiative led by the CDP, the World Resources Institute, the World Wildlife Fund and the United Nations Global Compact.
It helps companies set and validate reduction targets in line with what climate science says, which is necessary to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius.