Groupe Danone (GDNNY)

Press releases

Tuesday July 24th 2007 08:38:41 AM

Press Releases - Research & Development:

• 2011/12/06
  2nd symposium “Microbes for Health” organized jointly by Danone Research, Institut Pasteur and INRA
• 2011/05/09
  LyonBioTech, a Technological Research Institute jointly developed by Lyonbiopole and Institut Pasteur, has been selected by the General Commission for Investment
• 2011/04/01
  Danone Research Centre for Specialised Nutrition opens in Singapore to look into child and maternal health in Asia Pacific
• 2011/03/28
  Sanofi-Aventis, Institut Merieux and Danone Research, support the IRT (Technologic Research Institute) “LyonBioTech” project (only available in French)
• 2011/02/25
  The launch of the Hydration for Health Hub
• 2010/11/26
  The First International "Microbes for Health" Symposium

Other Press Releases:

• 04/10/2011
  Danone and the IUF sign a worldwide agreement on health, safety, working conditions and stress
• 2010/06/24
  Danone appoints new Director Investor Relations
• 2010/01/11
  Six months after its creation, the Danone Ecosystem Fund is assessing around thirty projects and has commenced financing its first two initiatives
• 2009/11/04
  Danone Waters wins 2009 DuPont Safety Award

CP Novembre 2008

Thursday November 13th 2008 01:10:09 AM

Danone Research presents the Arch of Microorganisms, an designes to change our view of bacteria

For the first time, DANONE RESEARCH is presenting its science to the general public through an exhibition designed as an exploratory voyage through the world of bacteria

Bacteria are live microorganisms. They are the oldest form of life. They first emerged on the earth approximately four billion years ago. Without bacteria, irrespective of whether we consider them 'good' or 'bad', all other forms of life would be impossible. Bacteria are absolutely ubiquitous. In man, they constitute an independent ecosystem, the intestinal flora, which scientists now refer to as the 'microbiota'. The flora resides in our gastrointestinal tract. The flora which helps to digest some foods is essential to the human being. Most of the time, bacteria are related to diseases. Thus, the primary aim of the exhibition is to call into question the tenacious prejudice that leads to all bacteria being considered harmful.

For 20 years, the scientific community has been addressing the beneficial role that certain bacteria could play with respect to health. Brought by foodstuff, these bacteria are referred to as 'probiotic' bacteria. A new field of investigation is emerging: study of the intestinal flora, its interaction with probiotics and man, and the effects of those interactions on health. This development is reflected in the increasing number of scientific publications on the subject (500 references published in 2006 vs. just 150 10 years ago).

Groupe DANONE has made elucidating the interactions between the intestinal flora, probiotics and man, one of the priorities of its research. Danone Research is thus inviting the 50,000 expected visitors to the Grand Palais to take part in this exploratory voyage.

An exhibition designed to explore the nature and interactions between three determinant entities: man, the intestinal flora and probiotics.

The interactions between each of those three entities constitute the scenographic concept and underlie the spatial organization of the exhibition. The three arches illustrate the interactions and link together the entities. Each of the arches defines a space within which instruments promoting comprehension and elucidation have been deployed in order to enable the visitor to tailor his/her reading of the subject.

The Danone Research project was selected from over 200 dossiers submitted to the Ministry for Higher Education and Research subsequent to a call for proposals.

The European Science City: the inaugural event of the Science Fair

Organized during the French presidency of the European Union by the Ministry for Higher Education and Research, the European Science City will open its doors in the nave of the Grand Palais from November 14 through 16, 2008.

The inaugural event of the Science Fair will initiate a direct and lively dialogue between science and society. Moving through the squares and streets of the European City, the expected 50,000 visitors will become acquainted with 70 exhibition spaces presenting, in a concrete and accessible manner, the work and results of European research teams through events and workshops, innovative objects that are sometimes monumental, and meetings.

Younger visitors will enjoy a specific space where ludic and pedagogic programs will join forces to ensure learning through games and good humor.
The event has been labeled the 'European Cultural Season'.

Press contacts

Françoise Néant, PhD
Danone Research - +33 1 69 35 72 43 - +33 6 17 70 63 23 - francoise.neant@danone.com
Mélanie Chaboissier
Burson-Marsteller Agency - +33 1 41 86 76 72 - +33 6 25 39 19 58 - melanie.chaboissier@bm.com
Aurélia Parrot
VFC Agency- +33 1 47 57 85 56 - aparrot@vfc.fr

Download the press release

Download the press kit

CP Decembre 2008

Thursday December 18th 2008 04:13:09 AM

Danone France, Danone Eaux France and Blédina join forces with GuideCaro to make their consumer services Danone&Vous and bledina.com more accessible to deaf people

Deafness is the most common form of disability in France, affecting 8% of the population (5 million people). Deaf people mainly communicate using sign language, and therefore use different syntax. Consequently, they often find it difficult to use tools that are not adapted for them.

That is why Groupe Danone's French subsidiaries (Danone France, Danone Eaux France and Blédina) have joined forces with GuideCaro to provide deaf people with easier access to their consumer services, Danone&Vous and bledina.com. Deaf consumers can now benefit from all the services available, like any other consumer (nutritional information, specific questions about quality, packaging, recipes, the Group's policy and so on).

By clicking on the deafness sign (a crossed ear) on www.danoneetvous.com and www.bledina.com websites, deaf people can contact one of the Group's French subsidiaries through six different communication tools (webcam, webchat, SMS, fax, email and form). This service is available from Monday to Friday, from 11:30 am to 2:30 pm.

This initiative, the first of its kind in Europe, is deeply rooted in Danone's key values. Its purpose is not only to increase Danone’s proximity relationship with its consumers, but also to go further in the efforts to grant everyone with the same level of care and attention, without discrimination.

GuideCaro, created in June 2005, is a company that aims to enable deaf people to live their everyday lives in complete independence. It acts as a relay centre that offers a range of services for the deaf, such as arranging meetings, writing administrative correspondence, providing news, a forum for discussion, etc. GuideCaro has also created its own “Sourdline” service www.sourdline.com

French leader in fresh dairy products with a share of over 30% of the market, Danone France is present in every segment with its brands, which include Danone, Activia, Actimel, Taillefine, Danette, Danacol, and also Velouté, Petit Gervais aux Fruits, Gervita and Fjord. In 2007 Danone France operated six production sites, eight logistics platforms, and employed 2,500 people.

French leader in baby nutrition, Blédina puts 100 years of expertise and know-how at the service of children and their parents with 100% dedicated activity. Blédina holds more than 50% market shares in France and has integrated Groupe Danone’s baby nutrition division in 2007: Danone Baby Nutrition (n°2 worldwide). Blédina’s mission is: “giving support to parents, because children’s nutrition between 0 and 3 years old contributes building their health for the future.”

Danone Eaux France, provides great-tasting natural mineral waters and spring water based beverages that respect nutritional requirements. All are made using water of the highest quality. The company's natural mineral waters and spring water based beverages brands are as follows: Badoit, Evian, Volvic, La Salvetat and Taillefine.

Download the press release

CP novembre 2009

Monday November 9th 2009 06:14:29 AM

Danone Waters wins 2009 DuPont Safety Award

Danone rewarded for its global approach to accident reduction built on commitment, discipline and good practice transfer.

Paris, France, November 4th, 2009 – During the A+A trade show held in Düsseldorf – a major trade event for safety products and services worldwide – the prestigious DuPont Safety Awards for individual and collective safety initiatives in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) were announced.

“The annual DuPont Safety Awards reward the most significant projects, programs, contributions, in the field of safety in the workplace or in society in general, made by individuals, companies or organisations”, explained Koen van Neyghen, President DuPont Safety Resources EMEA. “There are five categories and we are delighted that the Waters Division of Danone has won the award in the Performance Improvement category.”

Danone Waters is rewarded for the worldwide implementation of a standardised Safety method, called WISE, which has led to a 6-fold decrease in accident rate over the past 6 years. The approach which was started in 2004 to drive safety performance across all Danone business units, focuses on people involvement and management commitment. “WISE blends a bottom-up participative approach, a rigorous methodology and a strong, visible, engagement from the top” explains Marc Grosser, Labor relations and social responsibility director. The approach was first implemented in the Manufacturing sites, followed by Logistics, and now the program is being deployed in Sales and Head Offices across the world in all divisions.

The WISE program has had a positive structuring effect, a clear relationship being established between operational performance improvement and safety. Senior executives have been really involved at a personal level, dealing directly with the families of injured employees. From these experiences, rose a stronger determination to run the business with “Zero accidents”.

“We are delighted that DuPont, one of the world’s leading companies and with such high safety standards, has chosen Danone Waters to receive the award for Performance Improvement,” comments Martin Powell, Operations Director for Danone Waters. “We are at the very beginning of our Safety journey, internal motivation to make Danone a safer place to work is stronger than ever, and the DuPont Safety Award, rewarding the implication of all of our 33,000 employees, is a new milestone on our path”.

# # #

Notes to editors

DuPont is a science company. Founded in 1802, DuPont puts science to work by creating sustainable solutions essential to a better, safer, healthier life for people everywhere. Operating in more than 70 countries, DuPont offers a wide range of innovative products and services for markets including agriculture, nutrition, electronics, communications, safety and protection, home and construction, transportation and apparel.

Since 2001, DuPont has been promoting the Safety Forum and Award in order to stimulate safety initiatives in companies around Europe, Middle East and Africa as well as to promote safety in all walks of life.

DuPont is the authority on safe workplaces, with a proven track record in consulting and training in workplace safety and operational excellence. Leveraging the Company’s 200 year history of safety knowledge and experience, DuPont helps leading-edge companies gain sustainable improvement in insurance and operating costs, security, productivity, product quality, public image and employee morale.

About Danone

Danone is a Fortune 500 company and one of the most successful healthy food companies in the world. Its mission is to bring health through food to as many people as possible. Fulfilling this mission is a major contributor to the Groupe’s continuous fast growth. Danone with 160 plants and around 80,000 employees has a presence in all five continents and over 120 countries. In 2008, Danone recorded € 15.2 billion sales. Danone enjoys leading positions on healthy food in four businesses: fresh dairy products (n°1 worldwide), waters (n° 2 on the packaged water mark et), baby nutrition (n°2 worldwide) and medical nutrition. Listed on Euronext Paris, Danone is also ranked among the main index of social responsibility: Dow Jones Sustainability Index Stoxx and World, ASPI Eurozone and Ethibel Sustainability index.

Press releases available on www.europeanmediacenter.dupont.com

For more information, please contact :

DuPont de Nemours - Stéphanie Nedjar - stephanie.nedjar@dupont.com - +33 1 41 97 44 58
Danone Corporate Communications - +33 1 44 35 20 75

Download the press release

CP Ecosystem

Tuesday January 12th 2010 04:05:15 AM

Six months after its creation, the Danone Ecosystem Fund is assessing around thirty projects and has commenced financing its first two initiatives

At the second meeting of the Danone Ecosystem Fund Guidance Committee, a presentation was made of projects identified to date by Danone subsidiaries which are aimed at sustainably reinforcing the economic and social "ecosystem" of the territories in which they operate.

The approximately thirty projects already identified in partnership with local NGOs, are mostly aimed at resolving three major problems, relevant in both developing and developed countries:

- Supply of agricultural raw materials:: in all countries where Danone manufactures fresh dairy products, the supply of raw materials happens almost exclusively on a local basis. In about forty countries, large numbers of breeders and farmers thus enjoy economic activity that is strongly linked to that of Danone. They are often subject to major challenges and have to adapt continually to new demands, both national and international. Danone's role in the organisation of collection, through cooperatives for example, can help to improve the living conditions and incomes of farming families.

- Waste management: in several countries, recuperation of the packaging used for our products, provides income to population groups that are often underprivileged and work in very difficult circumstances, with no fair sharing of the income linked to this activity. The Danone Ecosystem Fund can be used to support the action undertaken by local NGOs seeking to structure these sectors through the creation of cooperatives that collect and transform these packaging materials to give them a market value, which is then redistributed to the people employed.

- Micro-distribution: in most of the markets where Danone is present, products are sold through extremely extensive distribution networks, made up of thousands of small, highly spread, sales outlets. Traditional logistics solutions are poorly adapted to supply these sales outlets. This situation is an opportunity for small stakeholders and alternative microbusinesses, which could be helped by the Danone Ecosystem Fund. The delivery of small quantities of goods to a multitude of small shops can in fact be seen as an important means of development and social integration.

Two projects have been selected to be financed immediately by the Danone Ecosystem Fund:
In France, the Danone Ecosystem Fund will support "Petite Reine", a re-employment company specialising in ecological transportation of goods by cycle-carriers, delivering to local, independent shops.
In Ukraine, the Danone Ecosystem Fund will support Danone Ukraine's small dairy producers and help to develop their agricultural production by creating – together with the NGO Heifer - 20 farming cooperatives which will each include between 60 and 80 small farmers. In the first phase, 1,000 farmers and their families will be able to improve their quality of life and their incomes, which are amongst the lowest in the country.

Some other projects are currently under further review, in order to specifically check that they meet criteria of sustainability and reproducibility. Over the coming weeks, several new investment decisions are set to be made on these projects.

Muriel Pénicaud, Executive Vice President HR and Chair of the Fund's Board, commented: "We are delighted with the high degree of internal mobilisation triggered by the creation of the Danone Ecosystem Fund. We see this as a sign of the vivacity of this dual economic and social project at Danone, while it – at the same time - confirms the relevance of this initiative in the current difficult economic environment. We are also pleased to see the active contribution being made to this initiative by many of our external partners, particularly NGOs. The work we are doing on our Ecosystem will indeed be all the more efficient and sustainable for all those involved because it is being built jointly with motivated, local stakeholders."

About Danone Ecosystem Fund:

The Danone Ecosystem Fund is designed to support, strengthen and develop the activity of its “Ecosystem”, meaning all stakeholders whose activities are impacted by Danone and who act closely with its local subsidiaries on economic, social and territorial matters. Creation of the Fund was approved almost unanimously by Danone’s shareholders at their Annual General Meeting of Shareholders on April 23rd, 2009, following which governing bodies were then gradually set up. The Fund was financed by an initial dotation of €100 mln in 2009. From 2010 onwards, up to 1% of Danone’s annual net profit will be contributed to the Fund for a period of 5 years.

The Fund will carry out actions in the following areas:
- Support the creation and strengthening of economic activities and entrepreneurial projects, to create jobs and support the development of small and medium-sized companies;
- Support the development of competencies and re-employment initiatives, in particular through training programs.

The Fund intervenes exclusively through actions proposed by Danone’s subsidiaries and in partnership with local associations.

The Guidance Committee met for the first time on June 12th, chaired by Franck Riboud with Martin Hirsch and Pascal Lamy as Vice-Chairmen. It includes the members of Danone's Executive Committee as well as well-known personalities from trade unions and universities. In September, Philippe Bassin was appointed Vice President of the Fund in addition to his role as Vice President Purchasing for the Fresh Dairy Products division.

About Danone

Danone is a Fortune 500 company and one of the most successful healthy food companies in the world. Its mission is to bring health through food to as many people as possible. Fulfilling this mission is a major contributor to Danone’s continuous rapid growth. Danone, with 160 plants and around 80,000 employees, has a presence in all five continents and over 120 countries. In 2008, Danone recorded € 15.2 billion in sales. Danone enjoys leading positions on healthy food in four businesses: fresh dairy products (n°1 worldwide), water (n° 2 on the packaged water marke t), baby nutrition (n°2 worldwide) and medical nutrition. Listed on Eu ronext Paris, Danone is also ranked among the main indexes of social responsibility: Dow Jones Sustainability Index Stoxx and World, ASPI Eurozone and Ethibel Sustainability index.

Download the press release

Press releases

Tuesday July 24th 2007 08:38:41 AM

Press Releases - Research & Development:

• 2011/12/06
  2nd symposium “Microbes for Health” organized jointly by Danone Research, Institut Pasteur and INRA
• 2011/05/09
  LyonBioTech, a Technological Research Institute jointly developed by Lyonbiopole and Institut Pasteur, has been selected by the General Commission for Investment
• 2011/04/01
  Danone Research Centre for Specialised Nutrition opens in Singapore to look into child and maternal health in Asia Pacific
• 2011/03/28
  Sanofi-Aventis, Institut Merieux and Danone Research, support the IRT (Technologic Research Institute) “LyonBioTech” project (only available in French)
• 2011/02/25
  The launch of the Hydration for Health Hub
• 2010/11/26
  The First International "Microbes for Health" Symposium

Other Press Releases:

• 04/10/2011
  Danone and the IUF sign a worldwide agreement on health, safety, working conditions and stress
• 2010/06/24
  Danone appoints new Director Investor Relations
• 2010/01/11
  Six months after its creation, the Danone Ecosystem Fund is assessing around thirty projects and has commenced financing its first two initiatives
• 2009/11/04
  Danone Waters wins 2009 DuPont Safety Award

CP Novembre 2008

Thursday November 13th 2008 01:10:09 AM

Danone Research presents the Arch of Microorganisms, an designes to change our view of bacteria

For the first time, DANONE RESEARCH is presenting its science to the general public through an exhibition designed as an exploratory voyage through the world of bacteria

Bacteria are live microorganisms. They are the oldest form of life. They first emerged on the earth approximately four billion years ago. Without bacteria, irrespective of whether we consider them 'good' or 'bad', all other forms of life would be impossible. Bacteria are absolutely ubiquitous. In man, they constitute an independent ecosystem, the intestinal flora, which scientists now refer to as the 'microbiota'. The flora resides in our gastrointestinal tract. The flora which helps to digest some foods is essential to the human being. Most of the time, bacteria are related to diseases. Thus, the primary aim of the exhibition is to call into question the tenacious prejudice that leads to all bacteria being considered harmful.

For 20 years, the scientific community has been addressing the beneficial role that certain bacteria could play with respect to health. Brought by foodstuff, these bacteria are referred to as 'probiotic' bacteria. A new field of investigation is emerging: study of the intestinal flora, its interaction with probiotics and man, and the effects of those interactions on health. This development is reflected in the increasing number of scientific publications on the subject (500 references published in 2006 vs. just 150 10 years ago).

Groupe DANONE has made elucidating the interactions between the intestinal flora, probiotics and man, one of the priorities of its research. Danone Research is thus inviting the 50,000 expected visitors to the Grand Palais to take part in this exploratory voyage.

An exhibition designed to explore the nature and interactions between three determinant entities: man, the intestinal flora and probiotics.

The interactions between each of those three entities constitute the scenographic concept and underlie the spatial organization of the exhibition. The three arches illustrate the interactions and link together the entities. Each of the arches defines a space within which instruments promoting comprehension and elucidation have been deployed in order to enable the visitor to tailor his/her reading of the subject.

The Danone Research project was selected from over 200 dossiers submitted to the Ministry for Higher Education and Research subsequent to a call for proposals.

The European Science City: the inaugural event of the Science Fair

Organized during the French presidency of the European Union by the Ministry for Higher Education and Research, the European Science City will open its doors in the nave of the Grand Palais from November 14 through 16, 2008.

The inaugural event of the Science Fair will initiate a direct and lively dialogue between science and society. Moving through the squares and streets of the European City, the expected 50,000 visitors will become acquainted with 70 exhibition spaces presenting, in a concrete and accessible manner, the work and results of European research teams through events and workshops, innovative objects that are sometimes monumental, and meetings.

Younger visitors will enjoy a specific space where ludic and pedagogic programs will join forces to ensure learning through games and good humor.
The event has been labeled the 'European Cultural Season'.

Press contacts

Françoise Néant, PhD
Danone Research - +33 1 69 35 72 43 - +33 6 17 70 63 23 - francoise.neant@danone.com
Mélanie Chaboissier
Burson-Marsteller Agency - +33 1 41 86 76 72 - +33 6 25 39 19 58 - melanie.chaboissier@bm.com
Aurélia Parrot
VFC Agency- +33 1 47 57 85 56 - aparrot@vfc.fr

Download the press release

Download the press kit

CP Decembre 2008

Thursday December 18th 2008 04:13:09 AM

Danone France, Danone Eaux France and Blédina join forces with GuideCaro to make their consumer services Danone&Vous and bledina.com more accessible to deaf people

Deafness is the most common form of disability in France, affecting 8% of the population (5 million people). Deaf people mainly communicate using sign language, and therefore use different syntax. Consequently, they often find it difficult to use tools that are not adapted for them.

That is why Groupe Danone's French subsidiaries (Danone France, Danone Eaux France and Blédina) have joined forces with GuideCaro to provide deaf people with easier access to their consumer services, Danone&Vous and bledina.com. Deaf consumers can now benefit from all the services available, like any other consumer (nutritional information, specific questions about quality, packaging, recipes, the Group's policy and so on).

By clicking on the deafness sign (a crossed ear) on www.danoneetvous.com and www.bledina.com websites, deaf people can contact one of the Group's French subsidiaries through six different communication tools (webcam, webchat, SMS, fax, email and form). This service is available from Monday to Friday, from 11:30 am to 2:30 pm.

This initiative, the first of its kind in Europe, is deeply rooted in Danone's key values. Its purpose is not only to increase Danone’s proximity relationship with its consumers, but also to go further in the efforts to grant everyone with the same level of care and attention, without discrimination.

GuideCaro, created in June 2005, is a company that aims to enable deaf people to live their everyday lives in complete independence. It acts as a relay centre that offers a range of services for the deaf, such as arranging meetings, writing administrative correspondence, providing news, a forum for discussion, etc. GuideCaro has also created its own “Sourdline” service www.sourdline.com

French leader in fresh dairy products with a share of over 30% of the market, Danone France is present in every segment with its brands, which include Danone, Activia, Actimel, Taillefine, Danette, Danacol, and also Velouté, Petit Gervais aux Fruits, Gervita and Fjord. In 2007 Danone France operated six production sites, eight logistics platforms, and employed 2,500 people.

French leader in baby nutrition, Blédina puts 100 years of expertise and know-how at the service of children and their parents with 100% dedicated activity. Blédina holds more than 50% market shares in France and has integrated Groupe Danone’s baby nutrition division in 2007: Danone Baby Nutrition (n°2 worldwide). Blédina’s mission is: “giving support to parents, because children’s nutrition between 0 and 3 years old contributes building their health for the future.”

Danone Eaux France, provides great-tasting natural mineral waters and spring water based beverages that respect nutritional requirements. All are made using water of the highest quality. The company's natural mineral waters and spring water based beverages brands are as follows: Badoit, Evian, Volvic, La Salvetat and Taillefine.

Download the press release

CP novembre 2009

Monday November 9th 2009 06:14:29 AM

Danone Waters wins 2009 DuPont Safety Award

Danone rewarded for its global approach to accident reduction built on commitment, discipline and good practice transfer.

Paris, France, November 4th, 2009 – During the A+A trade show held in Düsseldorf – a major trade event for safety products and services worldwide – the prestigious DuPont Safety Awards for individual and collective safety initiatives in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) were announced.

“The annual DuPont Safety Awards reward the most significant projects, programs, contributions, in the field of safety in the workplace or in society in general, made by individuals, companies or organisations”, explained Koen van Neyghen, President DuPont Safety Resources EMEA. “There are five categories and we are delighted that the Waters Division of Danone has won the award in the Performance Improvement category.”

Danone Waters is rewarded for the worldwide implementation of a standardised Safety method, called WISE, which has led to a 6-fold decrease in accident rate over the past 6 years. The approach which was started in 2004 to drive safety performance across all Danone business units, focuses on people involvement and management commitment. “WISE blends a bottom-up participative approach, a rigorous methodology and a strong, visible, engagement from the top” explains Marc Grosser, Labor relations and social responsibility director. The approach was first implemented in the Manufacturing sites, followed by Logistics, and now the program is being deployed in Sales and Head Offices across the world in all divisions.

The WISE program has had a positive structuring effect, a clear relationship being established between operational performance improvement and safety. Senior executives have been really involved at a personal level, dealing directly with the families of injured employees. From these experiences, rose a stronger determination to run the business with “Zero accidents”.

“We are delighted that DuPont, one of the world’s leading companies and with such high safety standards, has chosen Danone Waters to receive the award for Performance Improvement,” comments Martin Powell, Operations Director for Danone Waters. “We are at the very beginning of our Safety journey, internal motivation to make Danone a safer place to work is stronger than ever, and the DuPont Safety Award, rewarding the implication of all of our 33,000 employees, is a new milestone on our path”.

# # #

Notes to editors

DuPont is a science company. Founded in 1802, DuPont puts science to work by creating sustainable solutions essential to a better, safer, healthier life for people everywhere. Operating in more than 70 countries, DuPont offers a wide range of innovative products and services for markets including agriculture, nutrition, electronics, communications, safety and protection, home and construction, transportation and apparel.

Since 2001, DuPont has been promoting the Safety Forum and Award in order to stimulate safety initiatives in companies around Europe, Middle East and Africa as well as to promote safety in all walks of life.

DuPont is the authority on safe workplaces, with a proven track record in consulting and training in workplace safety and operational excellence. Leveraging the Company’s 200 year history of safety knowledge and experience, DuPont helps leading-edge companies gain sustainable improvement in insurance and operating costs, security, productivity, product quality, public image and employee morale.

About Danone

Danone is a Fortune 500 company and one of the most successful healthy food companies in the world. Its mission is to bring health through food to as many people as possible. Fulfilling this mission is a major contributor to the Groupe’s continuous fast growth. Danone with 160 plants and around 80,000 employees has a presence in all five continents and over 120 countries. In 2008, Danone recorded € 15.2 billion sales. Danone enjoys leading positions on healthy food in four businesses: fresh dairy products (n°1 worldwide), waters (n° 2 on the packaged water mark et), baby nutrition (n°2 worldwide) and medical nutrition. Listed on Euronext Paris, Danone is also ranked among the main index of social responsibility: Dow Jones Sustainability Index Stoxx and World, ASPI Eurozone and Ethibel Sustainability index.

Press releases available on www.europeanmediacenter.dupont.com

For more information, please contact :

DuPont de Nemours - Stéphanie Nedjar - stephanie.nedjar@dupont.com - +33 1 41 97 44 58
Danone Corporate Communications - +33 1 44 35 20 75

Download the press release

CP Ecosystem

Tuesday January 12th 2010 04:05:15 AM

Six months after its creation, the Danone Ecosystem Fund is assessing around thirty projects and has commenced financing its first two initiatives

At the second meeting of the Danone Ecosystem Fund Guidance Committee, a presentation was made of projects identified to date by Danone subsidiaries which are aimed at sustainably reinforcing the economic and social "ecosystem" of the territories in which they operate.

The approximately thirty projects already identified in partnership with local NGOs, are mostly aimed at resolving three major problems, relevant in both developing and developed countries:

- Supply of agricultural raw materials:: in all countries where Danone manufactures fresh dairy products, the supply of raw materials happens almost exclusively on a local basis. In about forty countries, large numbers of breeders and farmers thus enjoy economic activity that is strongly linked to that of Danone. They are often subject to major challenges and have to adapt continually to new demands, both national and international. Danone's role in the organisation of collection, through cooperatives for example, can help to improve the living conditions and incomes of farming families.

- Waste management: in several countries, recuperation of the packaging used for our products, provides income to population groups that are often underprivileged and work in very difficult circumstances, with no fair sharing of the income linked to this activity. The Danone Ecosystem Fund can be used to support the action undertaken by local NGOs seeking to structure these sectors through the creation of cooperatives that collect and transform these packaging materials to give them a market value, which is then redistributed to the people employed.

- Micro-distribution: in most of the markets where Danone is present, products are sold through extremely extensive distribution networks, made up of thousands of small, highly spread, sales outlets. Traditional logistics solutions are poorly adapted to supply these sales outlets. This situation is an opportunity for small stakeholders and alternative microbusinesses, which could be helped by the Danone Ecosystem Fund. The delivery of small quantities of goods to a multitude of small shops can in fact be seen as an important means of development and social integration.

Two projects have been selected to be financed immediately by the Danone Ecosystem Fund:
In France, the Danone Ecosystem Fund will support "Petite Reine", a re-employment company specialising in ecological transportation of goods by cycle-carriers, delivering to local, independent shops.
In Ukraine, the Danone Ecosystem Fund will support Danone Ukraine's small dairy producers and help to develop their agricultural production by creating – together with the NGO Heifer - 20 farming cooperatives which will each include between 60 and 80 small farmers. In the first phase, 1,000 farmers and their families will be able to improve their quality of life and their incomes, which are amongst the lowest in the country.

Some other projects are currently under further review, in order to specifically check that they meet criteria of sustainability and reproducibility. Over the coming weeks, several new investment decisions are set to be made on these projects.

Muriel Pénicaud, Executive Vice President HR and Chair of the Fund's Board, commented: "We are delighted with the high degree of internal mobilisation triggered by the creation of the Danone Ecosystem Fund. We see this as a sign of the vivacity of this dual economic and social project at Danone, while it – at the same time - confirms the relevance of this initiative in the current difficult economic environment. We are also pleased to see the active contribution being made to this initiative by many of our external partners, particularly NGOs. The work we are doing on our Ecosystem will indeed be all the more efficient and sustainable for all those involved because it is being built jointly with motivated, local stakeholders."

About Danone Ecosystem Fund:

The Danone Ecosystem Fund is designed to support, strengthen and develop the activity of its “Ecosystem”, meaning all stakeholders whose activities are impacted by Danone and who act closely with its local subsidiaries on economic, social and territorial matters. Creation of the Fund was approved almost unanimously by Danone’s shareholders at their Annual General Meeting of Shareholders on April 23rd, 2009, following which governing bodies were then gradually set up. The Fund was financed by an initial dotation of €100 mln in 2009. From 2010 onwards, up to 1% of Danone’s annual net profit will be contributed to the Fund for a period of 5 years.

The Fund will carry out actions in the following areas:
- Support the creation and strengthening of economic activities and entrepreneurial projects, to create jobs and support the development of small and medium-sized companies;
- Support the development of competencies and re-employment initiatives, in particular through training programs.

The Fund intervenes exclusively through actions proposed by Danone’s subsidiaries and in partnership with local associations.

The Guidance Committee met for the first time on June 12th, chaired by Franck Riboud with Martin Hirsch and Pascal Lamy as Vice-Chairmen. It includes the members of Danone's Executive Committee as well as well-known personalities from trade unions and universities. In September, Philippe Bassin was appointed Vice President of the Fund in addition to his role as Vice President Purchasing for the Fresh Dairy Products division.

About Danone

Danone is a Fortune 500 company and one of the most successful healthy food companies in the world. Its mission is to bring health through food to as many people as possible. Fulfilling this mission is a major contributor to Danone’s continuous rapid growth. Danone, with 160 plants and around 80,000 employees, has a presence in all five continents and over 120 countries. In 2008, Danone recorded € 15.2 billion in sales. Danone enjoys leading positions on healthy food in four businesses: fresh dairy products (n°1 worldwide), water (n° 2 on the packaged water marke t), baby nutrition (n°2 worldwide) and medical nutrition. Listed on Eu ronext Paris, Danone is also ranked among the main indexes of social responsibility: Dow Jones Sustainability Index Stoxx and World, ASPI Eurozone and Ethibel Sustainability index.

Download the press release