Danone, a multi-national company focusing on fresh dairy products, waters,
baby nutrition and medical nutrition, has switched to Ingeo, a biodegradable plastic developed by NatureWorks LLC, for its Activia yogurt packaging in Germany.
According to the press release from NatureWorks, with this move, Danone becomes the first company to switch to environmentally friendly packaging for a leading yogurt product in Europe.
NatureWorks also reveals that a life cycle assessment (LCA) study conducted by the Heidelberg-based LCA Institute for Energy and Environmental Research (IFEU) shows the switch to Ingeo will improve the product’s packaging carbon footprint by 25% and use 43% less fossil resources compared to previous packaging materials.
“Going forward, it is increasingly important for companies and brands to realize that the path ahead is one of technological investment, sustainable development and high quality in all aspects of product production – packaging included,” said Andreas Ostermayr, CEO Danone Germany and Switzerland.
In terms of the aggregate annual environmental benefit associated with the Activia pack switch, NatureWorks estimates fossil energy savings equivalent to the electricity consumed per month by 13,000 German homes, along with greenhouse gas savings equivalent to not driving a vehicle 19,000,000km.
“The Activia packaging is an excellent example of international collaboration for a smarter consumer product and one we are proud to showcase as an international best practice example,” said NatureWorks CEO Marc Verbruggen. “NatureWorks worked closely with Danone, not only to supply the material solution, Ingeo, but also to rigorously address questions and provide data around the entire supply chain from field to product. Now we’re continuing our collaboration to create a new option for recovery of the package after use.”
Together, NatureWorks and Danone are working to achieve the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) for the new Activia packaging. The ISCC seal assures that the entire supply chain for the Ingeo raw materials meets rigorous social and environmental criteria.
Danone notes that the change represents about 80% of the total volume of all Activia products in Germany, and it plans to expand the use of the Ingeo-based packaging to include the other products in the Activia line (drinks, yogurt fruit puree and the larger consumer formats) that account for the remaining 20%.
Activia was previously packaged in polystyrene.
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