08 SUSTAINABILITY


2000-2010 objectives


All of Danone’s subsidiaries have quantitative objectives for reducing the water used at the various sites. The 2000-2010 objectives for reducing the water consumption of the group’s industrial sites were achieved one year early (with a 35 per cent reduction, as opposed to the 30 per cent reduction targeted). In 2010, the group tested a pilot tool for


measuring the global water footprint. It was developed in the water sector in collaboration with Quantis and the Water Footprint Network, and will be tested within one


subsidiary in each of the group’s sectors:  In fresh dairy product factories, as 60 per cent of the water used does not come into direct contact with the products (meaning there is no need for it to be of high quality), it is possible to recycle this water using an ultrafiltration process. An initial experiment that produced positive results was trialed at the La Ferrière site in France and should now be extended to other sites


 In 2005, Danone initiated the DQSE (Danone Quality, Safety and Environ - mental) program at the 20,000 farms with which the group works worldwide, in order to encourage farmers to take the first steps towards taking better account of the pollution problems that their line of business may bring about. In particular, the objective is to prompt them to better adjust their fertiliser and pesticides inputs in order to reduce pollution, and to reduce their impact on the water resource, directly at their farms


 Danone has also associated itself with CIRAD (the International Agricultural and Development Research Centre) regarding pilot experiments concerning the collective management of water resources by farmers, whilst at the same time setting up more sustainable cultivation systems


 In beverages factories, Volvic replaced the water used to rinse out bottles with sterilised air, which led to a 10 per cent reduction in its water consumption


to calculate the mass / volume balance. The common metric is the Water Use Ratio which is the volume of water used divided by the volume / mass of finished product. Therefore, a water ratio benchmark (internally or externally) should define targets and objectives in order to fix an improvement ambition. In some industry sectors, the benchmarking has been done and published and gives an indication of improvement opportunities. The common reduction action plans are decreasing losses, optimising processes or recycling water. Secondly, the stakes


are in the whole life cycle of the product. In food sector, the consumption of water comes mainly from agricultural ingredients, directly for growing the plants as raw material (cereals, fruits, etc) or indirectly for feeding the animals (forage, direct consumption, etc) to produce meat and milk. Thus, a sustainable water use


» The local dimension of impacts must be taken into consideration «


necessarily involves the suppliers. The local dimension of impacts must be taken into consideration. That implies a collaborative


relationship with farmers and with producers to manage as efficiently as possible the use of water and the farming activities in term of pesticides use, fertilisers use, manure management, etc. This collaboration takes many forms through education, training, specification and direct management. For instance, the irrigation means can be changed by introducing micro-irrigation or the plant species may be changed to a less water-consuming species. Another way of improving the water use efficiency is to work on formulation product by choosing new recipes. A holistic approach is required based on a good level of knowledge related to water balance, hydrological and hydro-geological system and water


quality. In the beverage sector, water is a key


ingredient in most cases, directly bottled or mixed with other ingredients like flavours, fruits, hops, or indirectly consumed through ingredients. In any case, the same demarche can be set up to manage the sustainable water use. Some bottled water companies have implemented in the spring and catchment area strong sustainable water use policies and action plans in order to manage quantity and quality of water by creating associative / stakeholder


New Food Volume 14, Issue 3, 2011


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