LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Volvic has always valued the strength we receive from nature. That’s why ahead of World Environment Day, and as part of their ongoing sustainability efforts***, Volvic is sharing their newly awarded B Corp™ certification for the global brand and global carbon neutrality milestone. As part of their carbon neutral certification, in partnership with the climate solutions company South Pole, Volvic is supporting projects that protect two billion square meters of natural ecosystems in volcanic countries such as Peru, Congo and Uganda****.
- Being certified Carbon Neutral by the Carbon Trust: As a key step in their sustainability journey, Volvic has transparently calculated and certified the carbon footprint of their products through every stage of their lifecycle, and put in place a carbon reduction plan to further cut down emissions. Some of the steps taken to achieve carbon neutrality include:
- Volvic has reduced their carbon emissions by switching to 100% renewable energy at the plain water bottling site.
- In the UK, 78% of Volvic now travels from the bottling site to the UK by train, which has a carbon footprint 7 times lower than that of trucks*****.
- In parallel, Volvic is helping restore the balance of carbon emissions by investing in natural ecosystems protection projects with their partner and project developer South Pole. In this way Volvic contributes to protecting forests, watersheds, biodiversity and local communities in more than two billion square meters of natural ecosystems in volcanic countries such as Peru, Congo and Uganda****. These projects help to absorb carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and offset Volvic’s remaining carbon emissions to achieve carbon neutrality.
- Volvic global brand certified as B Corp™: Aspiring to use business as a force for good, Volvic’s global brand is now the biggest natural mineral water brand with a B Corp certification® in Europe*. The brand is joining more than 3,000 certified B Corporations®around the world that aim to balance impact with profit and contribute to a more ethical economy. Certified B Corporations® are businesses that meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose. As part of this community, Volvic is committed to continuously challenging themselves and improving their environmental and social practices to make sure they follow the highest standards.
- Evolving the Packaging: Volvic commits to using 100% recycled plastic in their bottles by 2025, in order to accelerate the transition to a circular economy, help tackle the issue of plastic pollution and further reduce their carbon footprint. The brand has been lightweighting their packaging for a number of years, while their latest UK innovation L’mon, a zesty sparkling drink range, has launched in recyclable aluminium cans. They’ve also been a supporter of Hubbub’s LeedsByExample campaign since 2018, to help boost on-the-go-recycling rates.
“At Volvic, we have long understood the value of nature’s strength and are encouraging all to return the favor, give back to nature and keep it strong,” states Rita Pestana, Global VP of Volvic. “We have been committed to continuously evolving, making nature and people stronger by ensuring that our source remains protected. We are on a journey to continue to use this business as a force for good and support our communities and the health of people and planet.”
Hugh Jones, Managing Director Business Services, the Carbon Trust, adds: “We are proud to have certified the Volvic brand as carbon neutral – a significant achievement that represents a real commitment to decarbonisation,” Nathan Gilbert, Executive Director, B Lab Europe comments: “B Lab® Europe is proud to welcome Volvic to the community of B Corporations. This achievement is part of an ongoing journey to build a more inclusive and sustainable economy. We look forward to working together with Volvic and the community of B Corps to inspire other businesses to join the movement. Now more than ever, it is necessary for all companies and individuals to take action and use business as a force for good.”
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NOTE TO EDITORS
ABOUT VOLVIC (WWW.VOLVIC.CO.UK)
Volvic is a unique natural mineral water born in a volcanic natural ecosystem in the Auvergne region of France. 13,500 years ago, a volcanic eruption created an immense natural filter where water flows through six layers of volcanic rock; this creates a one of a kind filtration system that only nature can provide and that is how Volvic comes to life. The water brand has been fighting to preserve these ecosystems for years in an effort to restore balance to allow nature to continue to give us its strength and guarantee the purity of the water. As a part of Danone, Volvic has committed to inspire more sustainable eating and drinking practices and is doing so through several environmentally focused efforts. To learn more about Volvic, please visit their website.
Volvic carbon neutrality certification
Volvic has been certified carbon neutral to the internationally-recognised standard PAS 2060 by the Carbon Trust, a global climate change and sustainability consultancy with almost two decades of experience in the sustainability sector. Achievement of this standard reflects the commitment and measures taken by Volvic to reduce direct carbon emissions arising from its own operations (Scope 1 and 2), indirect emissions from the value chain, and where residual emissions exist Volvic has compensated for these through good quality offsets achieved through its partnership with climate solutions company South Pole.
From now on, Volvic must be recertified every year to maintain its carbon neutral status. This requires the development and implementation of a yearly carbon reduction and management plan. Each year the certification process becomes more challenging as Volvic must begin to rely less on the compensation (the investment in funds which generate carbon credits) and more on a low carbon business model. The carbon emission reduction figures are based on the global life cycle assessment of the product.
*Excluding cap and label
**B Corp™ Certification:
Volvic is the biggest natural mineral water brand (revenue based) to receive this distinction.
B Lab® is a nonprofit that serves a global movement of people using business as a force for good. B Lab’s initiatives include B Corp™ Certification, administration of the B Impact Management programs and software, and advocacy for governance structures like the benefit corporation.
Certified B Corporations® are new kinds of businesses that balance purpose and profit. They are legally required to consider the impact of their decisions on their workers, customers, suppliers, community, and the environment.
Certified B Corporations® achieve a minimum verified score on the B Impact Assessment—a rigorous assessment of a company’s impact on its workers, customers, community, and environment—and make their B Impact Report transparent on bcorporation.net. Certified B Corporations also amend their legal governing documents to require their board of directors to balance profit and purpose. Companies must recertify every three years.
In 2020 Volvic achieved the certification with a score of 81.1., being part of the less than 4% of companies that have engaged with B Impact Assessment online and achieve the score required. The B Corp assessment certifies 5 pillars: Governance, Workers, Community Environment and Customers. B Lab® has highlighted the company’s leadership in 3 mains areas:
- The culture of Health & Safety
- The efforts reducing energy, water and material usage in operations
- Defining social and environmental goals at all levels. This builds a culture of ownership for the company impact.
While Volvic scored highest in governance practices and legal mission including societal and environmental impact on stakeholders in the decision making; employee benefits such as pension and healthcare plans; and the environmental policy and management, including rigorous monitoring and target, also identify the following areas of improvement: regular performance reviews for all employees and further engage with our suppliers on social and environmental aspects.
About South Pole
South Pole is a leading project developer and provider of global climate action solutions, with over 300 experts in 18 global offices. South Pole helps companies, capital markets, and the public sector reduce their impact on the climate while mitigating risk and creating value. South Pole is a science-based company and its expertise covers project finance, data collection, and climate risk analysis, as well as the development of environmental commodities, such as carbon and renewable energy credits. South Pole has mobilised climate finance to over 700 projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions in areas such as renewable energy, energy efficiency and sustainable land use. For more information, visit www.southpole.com or follow them on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
***CEPIV: protecting the natural environment and biodiversity since 2006
Société des Eaux de Volvic is strongly committed to preserving the natural heritage, including the 38-km2 area where Volvic natural mineral water originates.
The Volvic impluvium is located in the unique geographical site of “Chaîne des Puys / Limagne fault”, inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage list since 2018.
Protecting and preserving the natural mineral water resource is at the heart of Volvic’s DNA. Co-created by Société des Eaux de Volvic in 2006, the Environmental Committee for the Protection of the Volvic Impluvium (CEPIV) is a public-private partnership with the 4 local communities of the catchment area. Its mission is to implement actions with all territory stakeholders that reconcile local development and the protection of the catchment area and its biodiversity.
The mission of CEPIV focuses on three areas:
- PRESERVE THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT AND BIODIVERSITY
- DEVELOP ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES
- PROMOTE THE CAREFUL PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT OF VILLAGES, ROADS AND RAILWAYS
*****2 billion square meters equaling to 53 times the Volvic impluvium size which itself is 38km2
***** Calculation based on ADEME and actual Danone routes.
Volvic is part of the #WeActForWater movement.
Through #WeActForWater Danone Waters brands are:
- Halving the amount of virgin plastic used by their water brands, reaching 50% recycled PET (rPET) use worldwide and 100% across Europe in 2025;
- Accelerating towards carbon neutrality in Europe by 2025, with evian and Volvic becoming carbon neutral this year;
- Matching every liter of water sold with a liter for people in need, by creating a fund to help 50M people in developing countries access safe drinking water by 2030;
- Enhancing watershed and wetlands preservation around the world;
- Expecting the collective of its water brands to achieve B Corp certification worldwide by 2022.
WeActForWater falls within Danone’s recently announced €2 billion investment acceleration plan, investing between 2020-2022 to further transform their agriculture, energy and operations, packaging and digital capabilities.
