fbpx
Print this page
Tuesday, 13 October 2020 10:55

Danone plans carbon neutral NZ business

Written by  Staff Reporters

French dairy giant Danone says its popular NZ-made infant formula Karicare will become carbon neutral by 2030.

The company says it is working with its New Zealand suppliers and farmers to “foster regenerative agricultural practices and improve soil health, continue to invest in decarbonisation of operations and focus on packaging”.

Karicare carbon emissions associated with operations is a significant area of focus for Danone. 

A $30 million biomass boiler to provide renewable heat at its spray drying facility in Balclutha will be operational next year, eliminating around 20,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year.  

Danone will also move to 100% renewable electricity for all its New Zealand plants next year. It says between the move to renewable energy and biomass-based heating, the total operational CO2 emissions at the Balclutha plant will be reduced by 95%.

It is also working to eliminate unneeded packaging, or design it for recycling, reusing or composting.

Managing director Nutricia Oceania, Rodrigo Lima, says Karicare’s journey to carbon neutrality is greatly aided by its production in New Zealand.

“At Danone, our core belief is that the health of the planet and health of people are interconnected. 

“That’s why we’re committed to taking real steps that help us bring our products to market in a way that minimises any impact on climate change, including transitioning production of our milk formula products to practices that are more sustainable.”

More like this

Methane pledge

One of the world's biggest dairy companies, Danone, aims to cut methane emissions from its fresh-milk supply chain by almost one-third over the next seven years.

Government funds RA research

Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor says the Government will fund two new research projects to investigate the impacts of regenerative farming practices.

Taste trickery?

The world's fourth largest dairy company Danone is spending more money to spruce up its vegan dairy offerings in a bid to boost sales.

Featured

Australia develops first local mRNA FMD vaccine

Foot and Mouth Disease outbreaks could have a detrimental impact on any country's rural sector, as seen in the United Kingdom's 2000 outbreak that saw the compulsory slaughter of over six million animals.

NZ household food waste falls again

Kiwis are wasting less of their food than they were two years ago, and this has been enough to push New Zealand’s total household food waste bill lower, the 2025 Rabobank KiwiHarvest Food Waste survey has found.

Editorial: No joking matter

OPINION: Sir Lockwood Smith has clearly and succinctly defined what academic freedom is all about, the boundaries around it and the responsibility that goes with this privilege.

National

All eyes on NZ milk supply

All eyes are on milk production in New Zealand and its impact on global dairy prices in the coming months.

Machinery & Products

Leader balers arrive in NZ

Officially launched at the National Fieldays event in June, the Leader in-line conventional PRO 1900 balers are imported and distributed…

JDLink Boost for NZ farms

Connectivity is widely recognised as one of the biggest challenges facing farmers, but it is now being overcome through the…

New generation Defender HD11

The all-new 2026 Can-Am Defender HD11 looks likely to raise the bar in the highly competitive side-by-side category.