SBTN Pilot: Alpro
Company:
Alpro
Alpro is one of 17 companies that submitted science-based targets for nature – for both freshwater and land – as part of a pilot which took place from May 2023 to June 2024. This case study is part of a series about the findings from those validation pilot companies.
>>View the full pilot summary report
“We now know where to focus our efforts and where action is needed most. SBTN allowed us to move from improvements based on current knowledge to targets that we know help preserve and protect nature.”
Context and motivation
Alpro, a pioneering plant-based brand within Danone, was founded in 1980 and launched the first plant-based dairy alternative products on the market in Europe.
Alpro joined the SBTN pilot to ensure its efforts to protect nature were in line with international agreements and science. It has previously worked with NGOs such as WWF and IUCN to guide its nature work, and has embraced SBTN as a holistic, science-based approach in line with planetary boundaries.
Actions taken
Alpro had previously conducted an early local SBTN pilot in 2018 on almond production in Spain, with the help of WWF and IUCN.
Following the success of this local pilot, Alpro conducted a comprehensive materiality assessment and prioritization using SBTN’s Steps 1 & 2 for its upstream value chain and direct operations in 2021, supported by WWF and external consultants. In 2023-2024, Alpro then piloted the integrated target-setting process (Steps 1-3), which allowed them to identify both freshwater and land targets (Step 3). Alpro applied the methodology to all its raw materials and products on a global scale.
Having already set climate targets through SBTi, Alpro was able to use existing data streams to collect the required data. However, there were instances where they had to engage further with suppliers to explain additional data requirements as part of SBTN. Where suppliers were not able to share data, Alpro used secondary and proxy data, for which they brought in consultancy support.
Findings
For freshwater, Alpro identified targets in one of its major supply and production basins in eastern France, where it sources soy and has direct factory operations.
Alpro decided to take action in this basin, in a region that had experienced water stress, because of its good existing relationships with stakeholders, knowledge of the basin, and an existing regenerative agriculture pilot. However, local water models could not be identified for this basin, and Alpro instead identified a water withdrawal reduction target provided by the local water agency. Through local stakeholder consultations involving the local water agency, NGOs, the Chamber of Agriculture, and soy suppliers, Alpro co-developed an action plan for how to address their impacts on nature and monitor progress.
Actions had already been taken in this basin to help address the challenge of decreasing freshwater resources. However, with SBTN, Alpro was able to identify the volumes of water withdrawn more precisely, and compare them with the state of the resource in the withdrawal zone. Although its existing actions were heading in the right direction, Alpro was able to strengthen them with the implementation of SBTN’s methods, by setting scientific targets and bringing credibility to the actions identified because of SBTN’s internationally recognised framework. SBTN targets also strengthened and lent credibility to Alpro’s regenerative agriculture programs by linking them with science-based targets specific to the local context.
Challenges
Alpro found that the SBTN pilot required more granular data than SBTi (for climate targets). This involved additional internal and external engagement to help build awareness and understanding of nature. Alpro also found that global water models did not identify basins where known freshwater issues existed, and that local water basin models were widely unavailable to replace these. Instead, they relied on local expertise and stakeholders. Alpro welcomes the development of the SBTN basin threshold tool, which will help companies determine the availability of local models and threshold data.
Further, they found there was not an ISIC (International Standard Industrial Classification) category for plant-based foods for the tools they used in SBTN’s materiality assessment (Step 1), and they found that secondary data for plant-based products was not widely available, requiring them to collect more primary data. For plant-based, tree-crop products, they also considered that the land footprint reduction target was not compatible with freshwater targets, as yield gains may require increased freshwater and chemical use.
Benefits of process and next steps
Alpro found the SBTN methodology valuable for its ability to provide a deep understanding and precision in locating their ecological impacts. This process gave them new, rich insights and learnings about their value chain.
The SBTN process was instrumental in generating internal company awareness on nature. Alpro mobilized this by setting up a steering committee to ensure that stakeholders across the organization were familiar with the SBTN process. The steering committee included members of the CSR team, members of the procurement team from the key categories involved in the pilot, experts (particularly in regenerative agriculture) and representatives from direct operations. In particular, the procurement team played a key role, helping to engage suppliers of commodities affected by the freshwater issue.
Alpro found that their efforts to help nature through SBTN provided positive synergies for their decarbonisation efforts. The robust, scientific basis of the methodology also helped generate enthusiasm in initial conversations with suppliers and other stakeholders.
Advice for other companies
- Engage internal stakeholders early to build cultural awareness on nature. For example, Alpro created a video to educate colleagues on the importance of science-based targets.
- Build a strong business case for action to help build internal buy-in, by linking action on nature to clear business benefits such as improved supply chain resilience.
- Conduct local stakeholder consultations to help achieve data quality and to understand the feasibility of different targets and actions.
- Draw on external expertise when required, as the complexity of the methodology means that knowledge gaps may exist. It is still a learning process for all involved.
Information for this case study has been provided by the company and supplemented with content from the WWF (2024) report “Integrating Companies Within Planetary Boundaries: Feedback from the first companies to set Science Based Targets for Nature (SBTN)”.
>> View the full pilot summary report
>> Learn more about setting science-based targets for nature
