Danone today announced its plan to fully implement the Australasian Recycling Label (ARL) across all locally made products by the end of 2023. The company commenced rollout out of the ARL at the beginning of 2021 with around 40 percent of locally made products now incorporating the recycling labelling.
In Australia, Danone makes yoghurt brands including Activia, Alpro, So Delicious, Two Good, Ultimate and YoPro, while in New Zealand Danone manufactures leading baby formula brands Aptamil and the iconic home-grown Kiwi brand, Karicare.
“Danone’s global commitment to circularity is deeply embedded in how we approach our packaging design for our products manufactured in Australia and New Zealand,” commented Danone ANZ Managing Director, Rodrigo Lima.
"By 2025, one hundred percent of our packaging will be either recyclable, reusable or compostable. The rollout of the ARL is an important dimension of this broader commitment as it provides full transparency for our customers, consumers and other stakeholders.”
“It’s fantastic to see another ARL program member commit to fully implementing the label across all locally-produced packaging,” said CEO of the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation, Brooke Donnelly.
“As consumers continue to see the label across more and more household brands, their confidence will only grow in making environmentally-friendly purchasing decisions. Helping consumers to recycle correctly and more often is a core tenet of achieving both the 2025 National Packaging Targets and the development of a true circular economy for packaging in Australia. Seeing the label across all Danone packaging will no doubt encourage others in the industry to join the growing number of members helping Australians to recycle correctly.”
Packaging design for circularity
While the ARL itself is vitally important from a consumer communications perspective, Danone is also fully leveraging the Packaging Recyclability Evaluation Portal (PREP) tool that underpins the ARL to inform key decisions about packaging formats and materials.
The PREP tool is invaluable in helping Danone’s packaging technologists evaluate different kinds of packaging formats and materials. With the introduction of the ARL, all of Danone’s local packaging formats are now assessed through PREP. The tool is particularly valuable with new products being brought to market, ensuring packaging materials conform to local recycling standards.
Commitment to sustainable business
Danone’s commitment to society and the environment sits at the very heart of the company in accordance with its status as an Entreprise à Mission, which under French law uniquely embeds Danone’s purpose into its by-laws. In addition, Danone is pursuing B Corp certification for all business entities globally by 2025, demonstrating the highest level of commitment to environmental protection, social progress and governance.
“At Danone, we take great pride in our history and ongoing commitment to social progress and improving the health of our planet,” added Lima.
“As a company with a portfolio completely focussed on health categories, we understand the intimate connection between the health of the planet and the health of people.
“Now more than ever, consumers are taking an increasing interest in their food. Where does it come from? How was it produced and what impact does it have on the planet? Initiatives like the ARL are empowering consumers by helping them to make more informed decisions about the products they purchase.”
