USA – Horizon Organic, an organic dairy brand owned by Danone, has announced its commitment to become carbon positive across its full supply chain by 2025.

With agriculture known to contribute approximately 10% of total greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S., the brand said that the ambition to become carbon positive in the next five years will significantly improve its impacts on the environment.

“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 programs, and energy efficiency.

“These steps and more will play a significant role in helping Horizon Organic become carbon positive.”

Horizon Organic maintains that it will ensure the brand achieves carbon neutrality, and then go even further, to remove, reduce and offset additional emissions from entering the atmosphere, becoming carbon positive.

According to the brand, its journey to carbon positive will start with the 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 further committed to advance product certifications in direct partnership with family farms through 2025.

Horizon Organic revealed that it has already begun the certification process with The Carbon Trust2 and is working alongside many other friends on the journey, including 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.”

The brand further noted that it is finalizing its full life-cycle assessment that will guide specific milestones toward the carbon positive achievement.

To become carbon positive, Horizon Organic will also work collaboratively with our more than 600 direct farmer partners to ensure a farmable future for all.

Over the next five years, Horizon Organic has also committed to prioritize and focus on the areas that will have the greatest influence and impact when it comes to the planet.

These will include supporting family farmers through an initial US$15 million from the Horizon Farmer Investment Fund (HFIF) by way of grants, and low-and no-cost loans, that will help enable the capital, training, technology, and tools needed to create benefits for our planet and to ensure a sustainable future.

The brand will also be instituting carbon-reducing on-farm practices andco-create new projects that generate carbon offsets and removals, largely around U.S.-based agriculture.

The brand is further investing in optimized transportation and distribution, renewables, emission reductions for its manufacturing facilities, and packaging improvements.

Horizon Organic will also evaluate and pursue new technology and partnerships on an ongoing basis across the environmental, scientific and financial space to understand innovation and break-through opportunities that could make a difference.