1 February 2022

2 minute read

A three-year collaboration between FrieslandCampina and Danone has led to over 17% reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The emissions reduction was measured between 2015 and 2020 using the Annual Nutrient Cycling Assessment. This reduction has been realised through FrieslandCampina’s dairy farmers implementing sustainable farming practices and green energy projects.

This is applied for dairy ingredients specifically provided to Danone. FrieslandCampina used the Annual Nutrient Cycling Assessment to track progress resulting from the sustainable farming practices. The monitoring tool is used by almost 10,000 FrieslandCampina member dairy farms and gives farm specific insights, such as the size of their carbon footprint.

“For over 150 years already, FrieslandCampina believes in cooperation to achieve great results," said Simone Boitelle, Director Global Corporate Affairs FrieslandCampina. "And this collaboration is yet another great example. Supporting farmers to produce milk in balance with nature, is the key to a more sustainable, climate neutral and nature positive future."

“Sustainable dairy farming is a key priority in Danone’s journey to achieving net zero emissions," said Yann-Gaël Rio, Danone’s Global Vice-President for Nature & Agriculture. "This partnership demonstrates that by combining our expertise, we can accelerate the adoption of regenerative agriculture practices to help reduce the climate impact of dairy farming."

"While this is a great step, there is more to be done, and we are looking forward to supporting more farmers in their transition by extending this partnership for an additional three years," he added.

Depending on the nature of their farm, dairy farmers can take different measures to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. The impacts from the measures implemented are tracked through the Annual Nutrient Cycling Assessment. Some of the measures taken include harvesting protein from the home farm to minimise reliance on feed sourced from afar. Optimising cattle diets also help to reduce enteric methane emissions, and switching to green electricity, such as solar panels, windmills and manure digesters, limits the use of fossil fuels. 

The positive results from this partnership encouraged Danone and FrieslandCampina to extend the collaboration for an additional three years. The two companies will continue their efforts together with the goal to reduce GHG emissions resulting from the production of ingredients sourced from FrieslandCampina by over 7%. This would result in almost a 25% GHG emission reduction over the course of the multi-year collaboration.