Danone Waters UK has announced that its Evian and Volvic brands will have carbon-neutral status by 2011, forming part of the company’s long-term sustainability project. Since 2000, it has been the aim of Danone to reduce Evian’s environmental impact by 50%. So far a 20% reduction has been achieved, and the remaining 30% is hoped to be achieved thanks to a major Wetlands Protection and Restoration project, which restores ecosystems destroyed in recent years.

Evian’s reduced CO2 footprint will be achieved through a continuing sustainable packaging policy, the reduction of fossil energy consumption and an increase in the use of rail and optimised logistics.

Volvic’s carbon reduction will also be achieved through a number of factors, including the use of recycled PET for Volvic bottles, lighter-weight packaging and the use of electric trains through the supply chain.

"Sustainable development has been at the core of Groupe Danone’s business philosophy and decision-making for over 30 years and is at the heart of the way we work," commented James Pearson, Danone Waters commercial director.

[http://www.danone.co.uk]