Danone Research & Innovation: Sharing the Danone Mission

“Bringing health through food to as many people as possible”

Danone’s core commitment to bring health through food, supported by Danone Research & Innovation, is as old as the company itself. It originates in 1919 with Isaac Carasso making yoghurt to help children with intestinal infections, thus creating the first Danone product. In 1920’s, he began selling his yoghurts to pharmacies, before going on to expand into grocery stores. Even prior to this, in the late 1890’s, Nutricia – which went on to join Danone in 2007 – was pioneering specialized nutritional solutions, transforming people’s lives around the world.

For over a century Danone Research & Innovation has stayed faithful to this original purpose, developing nutritious, healthy and delicious products tailored to a variety of nutritional needs and eating habits. At Danone Research & Innovation we believe in the power of nutrition to make a positive, proven difference to health.

Danone: One Planet, One Health

One Planet One Health reflect Danone’s belief that the health of people and the health of the planet are interconnected. It is a call to action for all consumers and everyone who has a stake in food to join the food revolution: a movement aimed to nurture the adoption of healthier, more sustainable eating and drinking habits.

At Danone, we believe that each time we eat or drink, we are voting for the world we want to live in. This is the core idea of the food revolution: to care about where our food comes from, how it was grown, how it came to be on our plates and how it impacts our health and the health of the planet.

Dual Project

Danone is committed to conscious social and environmental responsibility balanced with our business objectives. We believe that economic success and social progress don’t have to duel with each other: instead, they can and must feed each other. We call this Danone’s Dual Project.

The Dual Project resides in an ambition for the company to create both shareholder and societal value and to hold ourselves to the highest standards when it comes to our business and our role in society.

The Dual project is reflected in our frame of action, “One Planet.One Health”. It is also reflected by Danone’s ambition to become one of the first multinationals certified as B CorpTM.

Danone Research & Innovation is a B-CorpTM certified company

In 2021 Danone Research & Innovation joined B-CorpTM movement with the certification of our two global research centers (in Utrecht and Paris-Saclay). The certification recognizes accountability and transparency of corporations, with a positive impact on people and the planet.

Société à Mission

In 2020, Danone became the first publicly listed company to adopt the “Société à Mission” status created by the French “Pacte” law in 2019. The status was officially embedded in Danone’s Articles of Association and registered in July 2020.

A “Société à Mission” is defined as a company whose objectives in the social, societal, and environmental fields are aligned with this purpose and set out in its by-laws.

Renew Danone

In 2022, Danone presented a new strategic plan titled Renew Danone. It aims to restore growth and drive value creation, reconnecting the business with a sustainable, profitable growth model. The plan aims to renew Danone’s momentum and, together with our 100,000 Danoners, to create conditions for sustainable and competitive growth.

As part of Danone Renew strategy, the company reframed its sustainability journey, articulated around 3 pillars: Health, Nature, People & Communities.

For each pillar, Danone defines a new set of priorities which are translated into mid to long-term objectives, focusing on where the company can deliver the most impact and value.

Progress & Lead Health through Food for Consumers & Patients

At Danone, we believe in the power of nutrition to improve and support health. Danone Research & Innovation works hard to develop nutritional solutions for a variety of consumers and dietary needs, be it for everyday diet supplementation or additional nutritional support during vulnerable times.

For many consumers, making the healthy choice is not always easy. For this reason, Danone is committed to actively promoting better choices by offering delicious healthy alternatives to encourage better nutrition and hydration for healthier life.

Preserve & Regenerate Nature

At Danone, we are committed to a sustainable future, and we strive to only get better with time. We lead the way on methane reduction, pioneer and seek to scale regenerative agriculture, preserve and restore watersheds where we operate to reduce our water footprint, and work hard to develop new circular and low carbon packaging systems.

Thriving People & Communities

At Danone, people come first. We thrive to be a force for social good. As a workplace, we work hard to foster a unique, diverse and inclusive culture, empowering our colleagues every day to positively impact their lives and encourage collaboration and innovation.

Our goal is to champion a renewed social contract by fostering a prosperous and inclusive ecosystem, upholding human rights and pursuing social progress.