It’s official, folks: The company that makes Dannon yogurt has become a certified B Corp, making it the largest socially driven company in the world.
B Whuuut? A B Corp certification measures and reports a company’s environmental and social performance, from carbon emissions to diversity, giving companies that pass muster a new legal status.
Danone was already a public benefit corporation — a legal status that requires companies to set goals beyond profit and consider stakeholders, not just shareholders, when making decisions.
Yes, the maker of Danimals
Long before acquiring organic, plant-based food giant WhiteWave, Danone already had their sights on rebuilding consumer trust in big food.
Danone scored an 84.9 out of 200 in the grueling B Corp certification test conducted by nonprofit B Labs, whose founder reported the average score (of 70k companies assessed) sits in the “low 50s.”
There are other well-known B Corps companies — such as Patagonia and Ben & Jerry’s — but Danone is the largest by far, with $6B in revenue.
So if they’re so great, what steps are they taking?
It’s worth noting that their score is far from perfect and, according to Fast Company, some critics feel the assessment may miss some of the company’s issues.
With that said, Danone does encourage sustainability in many significant ways — buying renewable energy production facilities, replenishing streams, and spending $6m to learn how dairy farmers can strengthen soil health.