Danone – proud to be carbon neutral

Danone Ireland recently welcomed local TD and Minister of State at the Department of Justice and Equality, James Browne, to its carbon-neutral, formulamilk factory outside Wexford town, which employs more than 350 people locally.

Danone’s Wexford factory was the first formula-milk factory in the world to be certified carbon neutral by the Carbon Trust, and the first specialised nutrition plant to install a biomass boiler which allows CO2 emissions to be reduced.

As part of a local project over ten years between the Irish Wood Producers and Danone, this biomass boiler is powered by sustainable wood fuel sourced from the local wood-chipping industry and it allows farmers in the South East to generate income by producing forest biomass on unused land.

With Danone celebrating over 25 years in Wexford, Minister Browne also heard from the Danone Ireland team about how the factory operates, its healthy product portfolio, and that Danone purchases some €100 million worth of Irish dairy produce each year. n