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Danone has made some progress in the past year on how they treat women and farmers and on water. The company has moved on climate thanks to a new policy and a new deforestation commitment. Overall Danone is still lagging behind most of the other companies and together with General Mills, is the only company with a disappointing 2 on land rights.
How are the scores formed?
We assessed publicly available information on the policies and commitments of the 'Big 10' food companies towards the sourcing of agricultural commodities from developing countries. The Scorecard looks at seven themes, weighing each theme equally. The index tackles some cutting edge issues that will require rigorous debate and dialogue between companies, civil society and industry experts. Find out more...
What do the scores mean?
- 8 - 10Good
- 6 - 7Fair
- 4 - 5Some progress
- 2 - 3Poor
- 0 - 1Very poor
Land
Score 2Danone scores very poorly on land. The company has not committed to zero tolerance for land grabs and doesn’t require suppliers to consider how land affects lives. One bright spot is that it now recognizes the principle of FPIC in its palm oil policy. It could be doing so much more.
See how other companies score on LandWomen
Score 2Danone made some improvements in the recent update with a new women’s empowerment commitment. While this is a good sign of improvements it is now important to track what that translates into as actual progress for women farmers.
See how other companies score on WomenFarmers
Score 3While Danone is showing increased understanding of its supply chains, it does too little to address the hardships these vulnerable suppliers encounter in producing the commodities that form the basis of Danone’s business.
See how other companies score on FarmersWorkers
Score 3A disappointing lack of information means Danone, which has signed up to international labor conventions, doesn’t actually know how many people are in its supply chains. Its recent agreement with the main union for food and agriculture workers globally is a solid step in the right direction.
See how other companies score on WorkersClimate
Score 6Danone has notable climate commitments in their palm oil supply chain and on achieving zero deforestation across commodities. But the company has a way to go in making their targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions more ambitious and in providing support for farmers affected by climate impacts across their supply chains.
See how other companies score on ClimateTransparency
Score 5Danone lists details about sourcing volumes and where it sources. It is the only company who discloses the soy volumes used for its dairy production. It also scores highest (together with Nestle) in disclosing its Audit procedures and results. But it has made no improvements since last year and continues to fail to provide names of suppliers.
See how other companies score on TransparencyWater
Score 4The owner of Evian and Volvic resumed reporting key information on water to the public. But big gaps in the company’s approach to water remain - including official recognition of the human right to water.
See how other companies score on Water