
Danone
Company Score
+0.72Danone S.A. is a French multinational food-products corporation based in Paris. Danone employs over 100,000 people in 55 countries and its products are available in more than 120 countries making it a market leader in fresh dairy and plant-based products. Danone products include Baby food, coffee, dairy products, dairy-free products, plant-based products, bottled water, and much more. Some of its well-known brands include Activia, Actimel, Alpro, Aptamil (its top product based on sales), Dannon, Evian, and Volvic. As of 2018, Danone sales were €24.65 billion.
Read about Danone and its impact below.
Impact notes
In 2019, Danone consumed 5.4 million MWh of energy, only 19.7% was from renewable sources


The world consumed 173.3 billion MWh of energy in 20191. In the same year, about 84% of the energy consumption came from fossil fuels2. The burning of non-renewable fuels heats the planet, contributing to weather pattern fluctuations, affecting biodiversity and ecosystems3. Food systems contribute to about 30% of the cumulative energy consumption and 20% of the global GHG emissions4. According to estimates, renewables accounting only for 3% of the total energy mix in the food industry in the EU5;p55.
World leader Danone has a high consumption of soy and paper, causing deforestation


According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), forests occupy about 31% of the global land area1. Out of this, about 18 million acres of forest are lost annually2. As per the reports, a football pitch of primary rainforest was lost in every 6 seconds in 20193. Data suggest that at least 1.8 gigatonnes of carbon (CO2) emissions were associated with 2019 primary forest loss3.
Danone generated over 436 thousand tonnes of food waste in 2019


On a global scale, we generate over 2.1 billion tonnes of solid waste in a year5. Over one-third of the waste is not managed in an environmentally conscious way5. High-income countries are responsible for over 683 million tonnes (34%) of the overall waste5. By 2050, the total waste is expected to rise to 3.40 billion tonnes5.
Danone Canada donates over 20 million nutritious yogurt servings to school children


A study on the Assessment of Malnutritional Risk in Canadian Pediatric Hospitals revealed that out of 371 kids admitted in pediatric services across 5 provinces, 19.5% were malnourished7.
Danone’s major palm oil suppliers convicting of human rights violations and forced labor


Palm oil cultivation is an important contributor to economic growth however, the industry has been linked with various adverse social and environmental impacts1;p1. This labor-intensive industry is reported to employ 4 million people just in Indonesia wherein, roughly 50% of the workers are reported to be women1;p3. As per the International Labor Organization (ILO), workers are prohibited to join or be associated with any trade unions wherein, they are threatened with low or no pay, any form of intimidation, termination of employees2;p12. However, the palm oil industry is tainted with human rights violations9.