Performance

OUR CONTRIBUTION TO THE UN'S SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS

 

The 2030 Agendaa for Sustainable Development, which was adopted in September 2015 by the member states of the United Nations, is an action plan for people, planet and prosperity. It includes 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 169 targets. They balance the three dimensions of sustainable development: economic, social and environmental. They rely on partnerships, thus requiring everyone to work together: business, governments, NGOs and civil society.

 

As early as 1972, Danone acknowledged the environmental and social impact of our business on the planet. Danone’s pioneering approach, embodied in its “dual project”, has led the way for the current mission to “Bring Health Through Food to as Many as Possible” and to enshrine the principles of co-creation, local relevant offerings and continuous improvement. Today, our “One Planet. One Health” vision marks a new endeavour for Danone as we firmly believe that, “Each time we eat and drink, we can vote for the world we want to live in”.

Contributing to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals through Danone’s 2030 Goals

In line with our “One Planet. One Health” vision and to adequately respond to the challenges and opportunities of the ongoing food revolution, we have defined our Danone 2030 Goals which correspond to an integrated set of 9 long-term goals embedding Danone’s business, brand and trust models.

 

While defining our 2030 Goals, we worked on prioritizing our contribution to the SDGs according to the direct and indirect impact that we have on the issues they raise and we selected the relevant SDGs targets (see below). Therefore, our 2030 Goals are aligned with the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations, thus adopting a language that is universally understood.

 

We also worked on aligning our reporting to the 2030 Goals and associated SDGs we have selected, and published our Company Dashboard which synthesizes our 2018 performance and key highlights in relation to these two strategic frameworks. Our 2030 Goals - 2018 Company Dashboard is accessible here.

 

We are fully committed to the SDGs and our contribution is structured as shown on the image above.

SELECTING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS

Major Focus

As Danone’s mission is to “Bring Health Through Food to as Many People as Possible”, we logically focus our efforts on the SDGs on which Danone's activities have a direct impact:

  • SDG 2 “Zero Hunger” through ensuring access to safe and nutritious food, and ensuring a sustainable food production system;
  • SDG 3 “Good Health and Well-Being” through ensuring the best nutrition for infants, young children and mothers, as well as through the overall range of our product categories over the lifespan;
  • SDG 6 “Clean Water and Sanitation” through participating in access to drinking water for as many as possible, improving water quality and efficiency as well as protecting water-related ecosystems.

These SDGs relate to the products sold under our three business divisions: Essential Dairy and Plant Based, Waters and Specialized Nutrition (Early Life Nutrition and Advanced Medical Nutrition).

 

Secondly, we also want to contribute to the SDGs that are material to our industry and the way we source, produce, operate and sale our food and beverages:

  • SDG 12 “Responsible Consumption and Production”, stood out, as it focuses on better management of waste and natural resources (SDG 12) and is in line with our commitments towards the development of a circular economy;
  • SDG 8 “Decent Work and Economic Growth”, promotes inclusive growth as well as a safe and secure work environment, for all, which fits with our ambition to foster an inclusive growth;
  • SDG 13 “Climate Action”, since agriculture is responsible for about 31% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Danone has committed to contribute to the fight against climate change by becoming carbon neutral by 2050.

Finally, contributing to the SDGs requires strong collaboration between industries and beyond, therefore Danone commits to engage in global partnerships to contribute to the SDG 17 “Partnerships for the Goals”.

Thus, the seven major focuses (SDGs 2, 3, 6, 8, 12, 13 and 17) embody the strategic mission of Danone. Nevertheless, Danone also makes significant contributions to the other SDGs, as explained below.

Commitments

To select the SDGs to which Danone will make a commitment, we took into account our latest materiality matrix which highlights our most significant sustainability topics for our stakeholders and our business performance. The material aspects identified emphasize the way Danone will significantly contribute to the following SDGs on which Danone’s activities have a moderate impact:

  • SDG 1 “No Poverty” by focusing on the reduction of the poor and those living in vulnerable situations namely through our investments in the following four funds: Danone Communities, the Danone Ecosystem fund, the Livelihood Fund and the Livelihood Funds for Family Farming;
  • SDG 14 “Life Below Water” by preventing and significantly reducing marine pollution, notably through our commitments to circular economy and our partnership with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation;
  • SDG 15 “Life On Land”, by combating deforestation and degraded land and soil;
  • SDG 16 “Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions” by fighting against corruption and bribery in all their forms.

We also took into consideration the major initiatives the company supported, such as the HeForShe and the RE100 Initiatives. They respectively show how Danone intends to contribute further to:

Contributions

Finally, Danone also contributes to the following SDGs on which its activities have an indirect impact:

  • SDG 4 “Quality Education” through providing access to affordable and quality training for our employees;
  • SDG 9 “Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure” by developing our capital expenditure in developing markets and our innovations for sustainable development;
  • SDG 10 “Reduced Inequalities” namely through increasing the number of employees benefiting from healthcare coverage through our Dan’Cares program and by increasing the number of women executives or the number of executives representing emerging markets;
  • SDG 11 “Sustainable Cities and Communities” by reducing our impact on air quality and enhancing our waste management.

Reporting on sustainable development goals

Danone’s commitment to SDGs can only be tangible if we keenly report on them. To do so, the specific targets that have been selected within each SDG were chosen accordingly to their relevance to our strategy and policies, and to our ability to report on them.

Detailed information on Danone’s contribution to each of the Sustainable Development Goals selected as « Major Focus » and « Commitments » can be found on the following webpages available in this section.