Boucherville, Quebec – July 8, 2020. – Silk®, a pioneering Canadian brand in the plant-based product category, is proud to announce its support for the management and restoration of 90 acres of farmland in seven communities across Canada over the next seven years, by partnering with the New Acre™ Project, ALUS Canada’s corporate sponsorship program.
Through its $100,000 commitment to the New Acre™ Project, Silk® will help support a network of farmers and ranchers in three provinces (Alberta, Ontario and Quebec) to use their land in an alternative way to produce ecosystem services that will benefit Canadians. Under this initiative, Silk® will help improve water quality and watershed health, develop new habitat for wildlife and combat the effects of climate change.
Silk®’s commitment to New Acre™ Project
Silk®’s support for the New Acre™ Project reaffirms the brand’s mission to promote healthier eating and living for all Canadians, while fostering a healthier planet through sustainable practices that start from the ground up.
“Silk® has always worked tirelessly to be responsible in everything we do—from the way we bring food to your table to the way we take care of our planet. As supply chains face unprecedented pressures, it is more important than ever that Canada’s farmers have the necessary tools to provide healthy food to feed our families,” said Geneviève Bolduc, Director Plant-Based Category at Danone. “At the same time, Silk®’s involvement in the New Acre™ Project advances our ongoing mission to support local communities and promote sustainable local practices, such as water conservation and helping pollinators, through our existing drought-resistant plants project,” added Ms. Bolduc.
As farmers and ranchers play a vital role as stewards of the land, Silk® has chosen to team up with the New Acre™ Project will help deliver nature’s benefit on the working landscape, thereby improving the environment.
“We want to thank Danone for their investment in the New Acre™ Project. We strive to sustain agriculture, wildlife and natural spaces one acre at a time, and today’s funding announcement will help us achieve this goal,” said Katherine Balpataky, who leads the New Acre™ Project as ALUS Canada’s Director of Corporate Partnerships and Business Development.
Stewarding nature’s benefits on 90 acres in seven communities
The environmental projects on agricultural land that are being funded by Silk®– located in Alberta (Lac Ste. Anne, Red Deer County), Ontario (Norfolk County, Middlesex County, Elgin County, Cornwall area) and Québec (Montérégie) – farmers and ranchers will benefit from data management and programming, as well as cost sharing for project establishment, technical expertise on project design, implementation and maintenance, annual per acre payments for management and maintenance of projects and outreach and extension services.
The New Acre™ Project will provide Silk® with annual progress reports on key performance indicators, such as overall biodiversity gained, percentage increase in beneficial insects, nutrient retention for water quality improvements, soil organic carbon accumulated in restored marginal lands when planted in permanent cover and total standing biomass. Silk® intends to share these reports publicly.
About Danone Canada
One of Canada’s Top 100 Employers, Danone Canada is a business unit of Danone and operates from headquarter offices in Boucherville, Quebec, and Mississauga, Ontario. Danone Canada is the country’s largest consumer-facing Certified B Corporation®, demonstrating that the company meets the highest standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. Danone Canada’s ambition is to produce healthful dairy and plant-based products, as well as coffee creamers and beverages; to create economic and social value; and to nurture natural ecosystems through sustainable agriculture. Its portfolio of brands includes Activia®; Oikos®; DanActive®; Danone®; Silk®; So Delicious®; Light & Free®; YoPRO; Danette®; Stok; International Delight®; and more. For more information about the company, please visit danone.ca; facebook.com/danonecanada; Instagram (@danone.canada); Twitter (@DanoneCanada) or LinkedIn (Danone Canada).
About the NEW ACRE™ PROJECT
The New Acre™ Project is an ESG (environmental, social, governance) solution that enables businesses to have a positive impact on the planet by supporting nature through a community-based, farmer-delivered program that produces cleaner air, cleaner water and better habitats for wildlife and pollinators. The New Acre™ Project is ALUS Canada’s corporate sponsorship program.
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For further information:
Caroline Lavallée
Danone Canada
caroline.lavallee@danone.com