Danone Waters of America, Importer & Distributor of evian® Natural Spring Water in the U.S. and Canada, Becomes a Certified B Corporation® and Announces Reincorporation as a Public Benefit Corporation

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., June 11, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- For U.S. Audiences – Danone Waters of America, the U.S. and Canadian importer and distributor of evian^® natural spring water, Badoit^® sparkling natural mineral water and Volvic^® natural spring water, announces today that the company has achieved B Corp™ Certification and is now a public benefit corporation (PBC). Achieving B Corp Certification and incorporating as a PBC represent the company's commitment to meeting high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability.

"We are proud to have confirmed through the rigorous assessment of the ways we are already using business as a force for good, in line with Danone's vision One Planet. One Health and are even more excited by the opportunity to challenge ourselves to continually improve as a new member of the B Corp community," said Antoine Portmann, General Manager, Danone Waters of America. "We aim to use our B Corp Certification and status as a PBC to engage business partners, stakeholders and the consumers of our iconic brands like evian around this important movement."

Today's announcement marks an important step in Danone's journey to become one of the first multinational food companies to become fully B Corp Certified, with now 100% of Danone's fully owned subsidiaries in the U.S. being part of a Certified B Corporation. In total, 14 entities of Danone have been officially certified including Danone Waters of America, Aguas Danone Argentina, Alpro, Blédina, Aqua Indonesia, Danone Canada, Danone Egypt, Danone Iberia, Danone Manifesto Ventures, Danone North America, Danone UK, Grameen Danone, Happy Family Organics, and Les Pres Rient Bio in France.

To obtain B Corp Certification, companies must complete a B Impact Assessment and earn an audited minimum score of 80 out of 200 possible points and recertify—with the aim to continuously improve—every three years. Danone Waters of America achieved a score of 81.7.

In addition to becoming a Certified B Corporation, Danone Waters of America strives to be a champion of sustainability, supporting major actions to drive the step change needed to preserve the environment. In 2017, evian achieved certification by The Carbon Trust as a carbon neutral brand in its bottling site as well as in the U.S. and Canada. In 2018, the brand announced a commitment to making its bottles from 100% recycled plastic by 2025 (excluding labels and caps) adopting a circular approach to its packaging, and an investment with the Closed Loop Fund to support recycling infrastructure. 

"The B Corp community is proud to have Danone's leadership as we all work together to build a more inclusive and sustainable economy," said Jose Eduardo Guzzardi of B Lab, the global nonprofit that certifies and supports B Corporations. "With nearly 3,000 B Corps in over 150 industries and 60 countries, B Corps are accelerating a global culture shift to redefine success in business—and inspire the next generation of business leaders in the process." 

For more information about B Corp, please visit www.bcorporation.net.

To see the B Corp profile for Danone Waters of America, please visit www.bcorporation.net/directory/danone-waters-of-america-inc.

About Danone Waters of America
Danone Waters of America is a subsidiary of Danone, which is dedicated to bringing health through food to as many people as possible. Danone is a leading global food & beverage company built on four businesses: Essential Dairy and Plant-Based Products, Waters and Specialized Nutrition.  Its flagship brand evian^® natural spring water comes from the heart of the French Alps, a unique geological site in the world. For more than 15 years, evian^® natural spring water travels through underground glacial rocks, where it is enriched with naturally occurring electrolytes and minerals. Delicately crafted by nature and with a neutrally balanced pH 7.2, evian^® natural spring water is a healthy choice throughout the day.  The brand is committed to preserving its local ecosystem and water resource, and has been working for over 25 years to preserve the natural surroundings of the source, in an effort to keep evian^® natural spring water's exceptional quality for generations to come. The brand also announced it achieved Carbon Neutral certification in its bottling site as well as in the U.S. and Canada in 2017 from the Carbon Trust, and is working towards becoming a circular brand by 2025.  evian^® embraces Danone's One Planet. One Health vision that the health of the people and the health of the planet are interconnected and therefore seeks to protect and nourish both. Danone Waters of America is a Certified B Corp. For more information, visit www.bcorporation.net/directory/danone-waters-of-america-inc.

About B Lab
B Lab is a nonprofit organization that serves a global movement of people using business as a force for good. Its vision is that one day all companies will compete to be best for the world and that society will enjoy a more shared and durable prosperity. B Lab drives this systemic change by: (1) building a global community of Certified B Corporations; (2) promoting Mission Alignment using innovative corporate structures like the benefit corporation to align the interests of business with those of society; (3) helping tens of thousands of businesses, investors and institutions Measure What Matters, by using the B Impact Assessment and B Analytics to manage their impact — and the impact of the businesses with which they work — with as much rigor as their profits; and (4) inspiring millions to join the movement through compelling storytelling.

SOURCE Danone Waters of America