Danone Dairy Ireland Is First Irish FMCG To Receive B Corp™ Certification
Danone Dairy Ireland recently announced that the company has achieved B Corp™ Certification, a mark of trust that recognizes its ambition to act beyond profit and put purpose at the heart of its business strategy. It is the first FMCG company to be certified in Ireland, and the second company in Ireland overall, to become a certified B Corporation® – a major achievement at a time when businesses are increasingly expected to take a stand on and respond to key issues facing society.
Danone Dairy Ireland joins other Danone entities across Europe, North America, Asia, North Africa and South America who have already received the certification. To date, more than 30% of Danone’s global sales are covered by the B Corp™ Certification. Its ambition is to become one of the first multinational food companies to be B Corp™ Certified at a global level.
Commenting on this achievement, James Bruce, Head of Danone Dairy Ireland, said: “We are proud to receive this globally recognised certification that builds trust in our ability to combine business success with social and environmental progress. We will engage partners, stakeholders and consumers around this important B Corp movement, which reflects Danone’s overall ‘One Planet. One Health’ vision, aimed at nurturing the adoption of healthier, more sustainable eating and drinking habits.”
Welcoming Danone Dairy Ireland’s B Corp™ accreditation, Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Heather Humphreys, TD, said: “I would like to congratulate Danone Dairy Ireland on achieving this globally recognised B Corp certification. Without a doubt, it is a testament to their commitment to operating in an ethical and sustainable way. Operating in this way should be a top priority for us all. This is something that the Government is working hard on in partnership with business, through the National Plan on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and the Climate Action Plan. I would encourage more enterprises to follow the lead of Danone and put CSR at the heart of their business.”
Nathan Gilbert, Executive Director of B Lab® Europe, said: “We are delighted to welcome Danone Dairy Ireland to the B Corp Community. This is a movement of companies who are dedicated to changing how business operates, who believe business really can be a force for good. Their commitment to doing business differently in Ireland will be an inspiration to others and really help spread the idea that we can redefine success in business to be as much about people and planet as it is about profit
To obtain the B Corp™ Certification, companies must complete a B Impact Assessment and recertify—with the aim to continuously improve—every three years. Danone Dairy Ireland underwent this rigorous, independent assessment covering four key impact areas of Governance, Workers, Community and Environment. As part of the process, Danone Dairy Ireland was required to provide evidence of socially and environmentally responsible practices – including energy supplies, waste and water use, worker compensation, diversity and corporate transparency. Such business practices include:
- The company’s commitment to making all of its product packaging recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2025;
- Staff being encouraged to work remotely in order to lower the company’s carbon footprint;
- Staff being incentivised to volunteer for charitable causes;
- The company running a programme to give access to shares to all employees;
- Any intern employed by the company being paid the living wage;
- The company partnering with the only other B Corp™ recipient in Ireland to date, UrbanVolt, to reduce the environmental impact of its office space in Dublin.
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