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Danone ecosystem
Working with Non For profit partners to create jobs and reinforce our local ecosystems through a general interest fund.
Danone Ecosystem Fund
The Danone Ecosystem Fund was established in 2009 when the financial crisis and rising unemployment had begun to seriously impact societies around the world. At that time, our then CEO Franck Riboud announced that it was time for companies to rethink the way they operated throughout their value chain. He called for partnerships within local ‘ecosystems’. “It’s in a company’s best interests to take good care of its economic and social environment, meaning its suppliers, its employees, its customers or the places where it operates. That’s what I call its ecosystem”.
Our impacts
3
million beneficiaries
32 000
people empowered
16 240
women empowered
ECOSYSTEM IN ACTION IN IRELAND
Some family farmers in southeast Ireland have insufficient income levels and face being dependent on one souce of revenue. It’s possible to generate income by developing forest biomass production on their unused forest areas and improve their income with profits from the sale of biomass. However, they require support, access to investment and expertise to develop this alternative source of income.
Through the Ecosystem fund, the Danone ELN Factory in Wexford, has invested in a biomass boiler to optimize sustainable energy use and reduce CO2 emissions at its plant with access to competitive biomass suppliers.
All the programs are designed to create economic growth. The Fund specifically supports the professional empowerment of “small” local actors with jobs being created or strengthened for smallholder farmers, micro-distributors, care givers and waste pickers. These small players in the local economy see an increase in revenue, as well as improvements in their working conditions, and consequently, improvement of their quality of life, as does that of their families. This is how the Danone Ecosystem Fund contributes to the development of an inclusive economy, reconciling the long term development of an international company with that of small players in the local economy who make up the ‘reinforced ecosystem’.
Our projects around the world
Co-creation is at the heart of our Ecosystem approach. In looking for the best way to strengthen the local economy, we join forces with partners who have local expertise and knowledge of the specific social issues the Fund addresses. Everyday, 45 local subsidiaries from General Managers to Project Managers and over 51 Non For Profit partners work together to find solutions to social, environmental and economic challenges. To ensure the projects’ positive social and environmental impacts, measurement studies are led with academic partners (HEC, William Davidson Institute, ESSEC…) and co-funding is sought to find solutions which create a more inclusive society.
Discover some of our projects
H Lib Dzair’
2.
To contribute to the sustainability of the small traditional dairy farming model in Algeria, the H’Lib Dzair project provides farmers with technical expertise, including ways to improve their milk quality. With individual audits and advice this approach raises each small farms profitability and therefore the livelihoods of the farmers.
Kosam
4.
To increase the local production of sustainable milk in Sénégal, the Kosam project supports famers in accessing markets and increasing income through implementing resilient farming models.
5.
To protect the Evian watershed In France for the long term, the Terragr’Eau Methanisation project is building a biodigester and has created a farmers’ cooperative to support sustainable family farming of AOC products.
Evian Terragr’Eau
7.
To improve the living conditions for women in low income communities in the city of Salvador in Brazil, the “Kiteiras” project promotes an inclusive business model by providing jobs as door-to-door vendors. These jobs contribute to female empowerment and reinforce self-esteem
Kiteiras
Stand by mums
10.
To support mums-to-be in Romania, the Stand by Mums project develops a network of perinatal educators who enable mothers to make educated choices about nutritional and perinatal care from conception to when their child reaches toddler age.
Warung Anak Sehat
12.
To improve child nutrition in Indonesia and educate mothers about adapted nutrition for children, the project developed a nutrition intervention program in elementary schools and established healthy kiosks run by female micro entrepreneurs.
13.
To support waste management and improve working and living conditions of waste pickers in Brazil, the Novo Ciclo project trains local people and provides them with technical infrastructure support. The project is conducted with an innovative recycling business model based on cooperative organizations who promote social mobilization.
Novo Ciclo
