New ground In the last few years Danone has developed a new plant for specialised nutrition in Brazil which has achieved landmark certification in three key environmental areas ( carbon neutrality , water reduction and zero-waste to landfill ) and has created a new template for its plants around the world . It is also a project that has been particularly close to Paul ’ s heart as it represents a working operation that , from the beginning , has been motivated by a planet-saving ethos .
Paul reflects : “ I ' m very proud of this , because back in 2018 , together with the local leadership team in Brazil , we planted the seed about the possibility of a beautiful new plant which was not just about reducing our carbon footprint , but having a positive impact in Poços de Caldas .
“ We set ourselves an ambition around three pillars – for the production site to achieve carbon neutrality and , as quickly as we could , protect the water resources and become zero-waste to landfill ”
A fundamental milestone for Danone ’ s Specialised Nutrition plant in Brazil has been authenticity . It ' s not about offsetting , but making sure that the plant itself runs on 100 % renewable electricity . With that bold level of commitment in mind , the company has even installed over 1,500 solar panels , covering the entire car park infrastructure , enabling it to self-generate electricity as well as running the plant .
While the trailblazing operation in Brazil has created a blueprint for newly designed sites , Danone is also ensuring that existing operations are constantly changing the game and reimagining what is possible . “ We have some great examples already out there ,” Paul notes . “ Our production site in New Zealand is well on its way , successfully
implementing a renewable energy project in the form of a biomass plant which allows the system to run on renewable steam . There is also a similarly inspiring project unfolding in Indonesia .”
Meanwhile , in Europe two of Danone ’ s plants are already carbon neutral – Wexford , in Ireland , and the Evian water plant in France . These examples provide impetus for the wider Danone network , its partners and , of course , its customers throughout the world .
Its guiding principles also means that the company is committed to cut carbon
136 January 2022