Page 23 - Food & Drink Magazine March 2021

be justified, with changes to practices ultimately the most important step.
“We ask ourselves a series of questions, how much can we eliminate through re- engineering or new technologies? What does that mean from a product perspective? How are we being responsible, ethical and environmentally conscious to meet consumer demand?
“Of course we look at the economic costs and implications, but it is also taking in the dimension of societal value and what we are
contributing in that realm.” The changes to the
New Zealand plant are one part of a global goal for Danone to align its businesses worldwide on carbon neutrality.
EMPOWERING CONSUMERS
In October 2020, the company’s infant formula brand Karicare committed to reduce and offset 100 per cent of its carbon emissions at each stage of the product lifecycle by 2030.
The new Karicare Gold Plus+ Organic will be among the first products to be certified carbon
neutral by 2022, with other products in the Karicare range progressively certified up to 2030.
“By making changes to our manufacturing systems and moving to low-carbon processing and production, we can start to do some really interesting things from a product perspective,” Pettet says.
“By taking a carbon neutral stance with Karicare we are giving consumers the opportunity to vote for the kind of world they want when they make purchasing decisions.
“This is becoming increasingly
important as consumers become much more informed on topics like climate change, plastics and recycling. They want to be able to make a difference and know they’re not contributing to the problem through the purchase decisions they make.”
Over the last 50 years, Danone set itself numerous challenges to meet its ambition for business success and societal contribution.
With many large scale changes now in place, opportunities for product and process innovation abound. ✷
LEFT: Fresh air: Danone’s Nutricia plant is on the way to carbon neutrality.
BELOW: Boiling: The plant’s biomass boiler comes online this year.
ENVIRONMENT MATTERS
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