Horizon Organic commits to carbon-positive supply chain

Danone-owned dairy brand Horizon Organic has announced a commitment to become carbon positive across its full supply chain by 2025.

The brand will co-create new projects that generate carbon offsets and removals, largely around US-based agriculture. Examples include restoring prairie lands and forestlands.

Horizon is also investing in optimised transportation and distribution, renewables, emission reductions for its manufacturing facilities, as well as packaging improvements. 100% of its beverage cartons will be certified by the Forest Stewardship Council by the end of 2020.

The brand’s on-farm actions will include energy efficiency, soil regeneration, and cow feed and diet management.

“Climate change is the challenge of our lifetime. We are out of time on this issue. Food and farming must evolve,” said Mariano Lozano, CEO of Danone North America.

“This includes helping our farmer partners implement breakthrough regenerative soil practices, cow feed and diet management programmes, and energy efficiency. These steps and more will play a significant role in helping Horizon Organic become carbon positive.”

The Horizon Organic journey to carbon positive will start with its new Growing Years whole milk half gallons, which will be the brand’s first certified carbon-neutral product by the end of 2021. 

The brand has already begun the certification process with The Carbon Trust and is also working alongside The Organic Trade Association and Green America’s Center for Sustainability Solutions.

“The Carbon Trust is proud to partner with Horizon Organic to certify products as carbon neutral as they deliver on their plans,” said Hugh Jones, managing director of business services, The Carbon Trust. “We applaud their ambition to achieve carbon neutrality and go beyond toward carbon positive, removing more carbon than they emit.”

Horizon Organic said its commitment to becoming carbon positive is a “meaningful step” in support of Danone’s global goal to become net zero – across the entire global company and its family of brands – by 2050.