100+
projects launched
Who we are
Sustainable Community Development
For over over 15 years, Danone Ecosystem has empowered communities, strengthened healthcare systems, and protected nature through over 100 concrete projects. Our mission is to build the food and health system of tomorrow, operating in and around Danone’s value chain to support its transition into one that is: healthy, circular, sustainable, regenerative and inclusive.
It’s in a company’s best interests to take good care of its economic and social environment, meaning its suppliers, its employees, its customers or the places where it operates. That’s what I call its ecosystem.
Franck RIBOUD
Former Danone CEO
Our mission and ongoing commitment
Created in 2009 in response to the global financial crisis, Danone Ecosystem was launched with an initial €100M investment agreed by Danone shareholders, to strengthen local communities. In 2025, Danone renewed this commitment, bringing the total contribution to €175M.
For over 15 years, we have focused our efforts on supporting smallholder farmers, waste pickers and healthcare professionals. We work hand in hand with NGOs, experts, Danone Business and local stakeholders to co-create projects that address local challenges.
We provide organizational know-how, technical expertise and financial support to initiatives that tackle key issues – from unsustainable farming practices and poor waste management to limited healthcare access and the barriers small businesses face in growing and thriving within their communities.
We develop initiatives that strive to benefit the broader community and serve public interest.
We’re called Danone Ecosystem because nothing, whether it’s birds, bees, or businesses, can thrive unless its ecosystem is healthy.
Key focus areas
Danone Ecosystem’s initiatives are structured around clusters, each addressing an important aspect of sustainability and social impact:
Nature:
- Regenerative Agriculture: Helping farmers adopt sustainable practices, particularly in dairy, fruit, and plant-based sourcing.
- Watershed Protection: Securing water quality and availability for communities and operations.
- Inclusive Waste Management: Supporting waste pickers through fair working conditions and inclusive practices, while improving waste management systems.
Health
- Child & Maternal Care: Strengthening perinatal networks that support infant and maternal nutrition, including iron deficiency eradication and prevention.
- Patient Care: Building holistic, coordinated, cost-effective patient journeys with nutrition at the core.
- Ageing Care: Creating coordinated, cost-effective and fluid ageing journeys centered on nutritional support.
Across all clusters, social impact through empowering people remains central. We believe true sustainability comes from enabling communities and placing people at the center of our efforts. By addressing nature and health challenges locally, we ensure our actions create ripple effects of positive change.
Building strong partnerships & collaboration for long-term impact
Danone Ecosystem’s success is rooted in collaboration with over 92 partners — including NGOs, local governments, philanthropies development banks, and Danone businesses — to co-create sustainable, high-impact projects.
By building bridges between public and private sectors, we apply our expertise in social innovation to to design sustainable models focused on assisting farmers in their transition to regenerative agriculture, improving water conservation, formalizing waste collection systems and expanding access to healthcare.
These models aim to protect the environment and strengthen inclusive local economies, driving systemic change by addressing root causes, through long-term solutions and strong public-private partnerships.
Measuring & Sharing Impact
Impact is our compass.
We define, measure, and share our impact to prove, improve, and inspire. We collaborate with independent impact partners to ensure objective measurement and assessment.
For each project, we establish Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to set clear goals and benchmarks. These KPIs allow us to monitor progress, measure success, and make informed adjustments to enhance effectiveness. By systematically tracking these metrics, we ensure that each initiative not only meets its objectives, but also enables us to continuously adjust our actions and improve our impact over time
Leveraging co-financing
Danone Ecosystem not only provides grants to initiate and de-risk transitions, but also mobilizes additional support through strategic partnerships. By engaging philanthropic foundations and development finance institutions, we combine financial and non-financial resources to scale sustainable impact.
To date, half of our project funding comes from external partners. This co-financing model brings not only from financial investment, but also complementary resources like networks and expertise – helping strengthen outcomes for communities and ecosystems.
We connect, share and act together for greater impact.
We promote open-source knowledge sharing to inspire, connect and drive action. Our multi-stakeholder approach amplifies impact, with advocacy as a key lever for change. Our initiatives align with several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), reinforcing their global relevance.
We invite experts, potential co-financers, and stakeholders invested in systemic change to join us in building the food system of tomorrow, ensuring sustainability and inclusivity for generations to come.