Brief: Danone recertifies B Corp status, posts ‘even higher’ impact scores

• Danone‘s North America business recently completed its B Corporation recertification process and has clocked “even higher” impact-based scores than previously, it said.
• First achieving Certified B Corp status three years ago, Danone now claims to be one of the biggest B Corps in the world.
• Nutricia North America, a specialized nutrition brand owned by Danone, also recently received B Corp certification.

Why it matters:

Companies are choosing a variety of paths to improve their sustainability credentials. While some are launching corporate initiatives, others are buying carbon credits – and some are choosing third-party certifications.

To be certified as a B Corp, a company must earn a minimum impact assessment score of 80 out of 200 possible points on aspects such as its interactions with customers, workers, communities, and the environment, and how it integrates these into its governance. Companies must recertify every three years to maintain their B Corp status.

Danone North America recertified with a score of 96 – an improvement from the 85 points it scored when it was first certified in April 2018. Nutricia North America scored 85.6.

Some of Danone’s other sustainability efforts include leading an industry coalition to transition dairy farming to regenerative ag practices. It was also ranked in 2019 as one of the leading businesses trying to reduce deforestation.

Examples of agrifoodtech B Corps include US vertical farmer AeroFarms – which recently announced it will be going public via a SPAC merger – as well as UK food waste reduction platform Too Good To Go, and US plant-based dairy startup Ripple.