Danone SA

Danone discloses a well-structured governance system that explicitly seeks to keep both direct and trade-association lobbying aligned with its Paris-aligned climate strategy. The company states that "Danone's Advocacy Policy defines the scope of Danone's advocacy activities and the way in which these should be conducted - transparently and ethically" and notes that "any climate related advocacy is coordinated through the central team to ensure a common approach," showing the presence of a formal process for monitoring direct lobbying. Oversight responsibilities are clearly assigned: "Danone's Corporate Affairs and Compliance Departments are co-responsible for overseeing the worldwide implementation of our company's advocacy policies," while "any new climate advocacy engagements or partnerships are reviewed and validated by the Global Engagement Committee" and "an update on all of our policies... is presented annually at the CSR Committee, which is a specialized Committee of the Board," indicating board-level supervision as well as executive-level review. For indirect lobbying, Danone confirms that it systematically assesses and manages alignment with industry bodies, stating that "in 2023, we will review our advocacy policy to include measures to ensure alignment between our policy positions and those of our trade associations" and that "as part of our annual disclosure to the CDP, we already evaluate alignment between the Paris Agreement, our own advocacy and the advocacy of the trade associations." The company describes concrete steps for addressing misalignment, such as "verbalizing our position, ensuring any disagreement is noted in the official minutes... sending a formal letter... and - if applicable - considering our own submission to a public consultation," which demonstrates an active mechanism to correct conflicts. Regular training ensures implementation: "Regular trainings are rolled-out by both the compliance and public affairs teams to ensure professionals are trained on the practice of advocacy." While these disclosures illustrate strong internal controls and board oversight, the company does not report a standalone, public climate-lobbying alignment audit or third-party review, so the transparency of its outcomes remains limited.