Aimed at bringing healthy hydration and safe drinking water to people around the world in the most responsible way, ‘WeActForWater’ is a set of urgent actions, ambitious objectives, and new investments. Deployed by Danone’s iconic water brands, including evian, Volvic, AQUA and Bonafont, it focuses on responsible packaging, climate neutrality, watershed preservation and access to safe drinking water. (1)
The ‘WeActForWater’ collective will support bold new objectives set by its brands to strengthen its growth model and build truly recognized activist brands on the front of global water challenges including:
- Halving the amount of virgin plastic used by the water brands, reaching 50% recycled PET (rPET) use worldwide and 100% across Europe in 2025;
- Accelerating towards carbon neutrality in Europe by 2025, with evian and Volvic becoming carbon neutral this year;
- Matching every liter of water sold with a liter for people in need, by creating a fund to help 50M people in developing countries access safe drinking water by 2030;
- Enhancing watershed and wetlands preservation around the world;
- Expecting the collective of its water brands to achieve B Corp certification worldwide by 2022.
Danone’s Chairman & CEO Emmanuel Faber said: “Water is one of the most precious resources on Earth and one of the biggest topics for mankind. The bold actions we are announcing today with WeActForWater are a critical milestone for our brands to act on climate, nature and access issues. It will drive conversations to the fundamental purpose of water. I am confident that the pioneering responsible business model we are setting going forward will uniquely position our water brands to create and share value for all in the future.”
Danone’s Executive Vice-President Waters, Henri Bruxelles, said: “Water is our most precious resource and the healthiest drink on the planet; we want to bring its benefits to people around the world in the most responsible way, protecting natural sources for generations to come. We need to act today to address our most pressing challenges. That’s what WeActForWater is about – taking urgent action, making and meeting ambitious objectives, and transforming our business to be even more open. We need to be part of the solution and we’re determined to act together for water.”
Secretary General of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, Martha Rojas Urrego, said: “Just three percent of the water on our planet is fresh and is mostly found in wetlands, which include lakes, rivers and aquifers. Yet 35 % of the world’s wetlands have been lost since 1970 and they continue to disappear three times faster than forests. Acting to conserve and restore freshwater ecosystems is the only way to guarantee a future with water for all. The Convention on Wetlands applauds Danone for launching WeActForWater and their efforts to conserve the world’s wetlands, watersheds and the precious biodiversity they contain.”
Ellen MacArthur Foundation CEO, Andrew Morlet, said: “The scale of the global challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution demand ambitious actions and businesses have a vital role to play. By taking a systemic approach Danone's WeActForWater strategy, which includes investments in reducing the use of virgin plastic in packaging, biodiversity preservation, and shifting to renewable energy, puts the circular economy into action. Integrating elements such as carbon neutrality targets and increased use of recycled materials into its business plan will further strengthen the business case for the transition to a circular economy. We are pleased to see Danone taking the lead by seeking to transform its business in this way.”
(1) These investments fall within Danone’s recently announced investment acceleration plan
