Danone set to double global partnerships to drive co-innovation throughout value chain

Danone has announced an ambition to double the number of partnerships signed through its Partner for Growth (P4G) program over the next two years.

One year on from the launch of the program, Danone has signed 19 new strategic partnerships and eight joint business development plans (JBDP), surpassing its target of ten partnerships and five JBDPs. These partnerships span across ingredients, packaging, manufacturing, agriculture, and indirect suppliers.

The P4G program is a key element of the Renew Danone strategy, fostering collaboration with partners across the globe to deliver market-leading products. The program is focused on four interconnected strategic pillars: science and technology; precision capacity creation; cost competitiveness and sustainability.

The business works closely with its partners to co-innovate by leveraging cutting-edge consumer insights to unlock growth opportunities which benefit the entire value chain and enhance consumer experience. Danone has also embraced new technologies through the program, to encourage efficiencies, strengthen agility and improve cost competitiveness.

In line with its commitment to place science and technology at the heart of research and innovation, Danone has also entered into relationships with firms to unleash science and technology to deliver new product capabilities or functionality. These include Graphic Packaging (Paper based packaging), IFF (food and beverage bioscience) and Novonesis (nutrition BioSolutions).

Through its partnerships, Danone is making significant progress against its sustainability initiative, the Danone Impact Journey. In collaboration with multinational utility company ENGIE, Danone is accelerating carbon reduction across its factories (scope 1 and scope 2). The company is also exploring new energy and water-saving technologies with partners like global industrial equipment manufacturer SPX FLOW. Additionally, Danone is rolling out impactful sustainable farming and carbon reduction practices, while improving agricultural resilience by leveraging the expertise of businesses in the food, agriculture, and nutrition sectors, such as Ajinomoto, Corteva, FrieslandCampina, MSD, and Zoetis.

Vikram Agarwal, chief operations officer at Danone, comments, “The supply chain plays a pivotal role in generating business competitiveness, creating value and driving progression. The first year of our Partner for Growth program has been hugely successful. By partnering with industry leaders across our ecosystem we’ve forged strategic partnerships which leverage our respective strengths to create shared value, supporting the acceleration of a sustainable, climate-focused transition across priority sectors.”

Isabelle Esser, chief research, innovation, quality and food safety officer, adds, “Through our Partner for Growth initiative, we are continuously expanding our scientific expertise to drive innovation and develop new products. We are excited to collaborate with pioneering businesses at the forefront of innovation, working together to create cutting-edge solutions that meet the evolving needs of consumers and patients around the world.”