French food company Danone says it will make its New Zealand milk formula brand, Karicare, carbon neutral by 2030.
Karicare will join other Danone brands – including Evian bottled water, which is already carbon neutral – as it moves to becoming a net-zero carbon company by 2050.
Karicare Gold Plus+ Organic is expected to be certified carbon neutral in 2022, with the rest of the range progressively certified up to 2030 at the latest.
Danone managing director for Nutricia Oceania, Rodrigo Lima, said the company was committed to making products in a way that minimised impacts on climate change.
“Danone’s approach to carbon neutrality is to focus on reductions first and foremost,” Lima said.
“We continuously act together with our partners to reduce our emissions in agriculture, operations and packaging, then taking responsibility for offsetting remaining emissions to achieve a carbon neutral position.
“With carbon neutral Karicare, we’re providing consumers with a more sustainable option and giving them the opportunity to choose a better future for their family.”
Danone infant formula has about 40 per cent market share in New Zealand.
It’s New Zealand processing plants make base powder for other Danone plants in the Asia-Pacific region and international products for the domestic and Asia-Pacific markets.
Last year Danone announced a $40 million investment to build a biomass boiler at its milk spray drying plant in Balclutha, making it carbon neutral by 2021.
The boiler, powered by forest waste, would cut the plant’s carbon emissions by 20,000 tonnes per year.
Danone also planned to move to 100 per cent renewable electricity at its New Zealand plants next year.
Between the move to renewable energy and biomass-based heating, the total operational carbon emissions at the Balclutha plant were expected to be reduced by 95 per cent.
All Karicare packaging will be either recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2025, the company said.
Source: Stuff
October 11, 2020
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