Jakarta. Bottled-water company Danone-Aqua's sustainable practices once again received the B Corporation certification for its sustainable practices.

B Lab's B Corporation certification recognizes companies that meet the social and environmental sustainability standards. The certification also takes into account the companies' transparency and accountability to balance profit and social purposes. 

This marks Danone-Aqua's second time to become B Corp-certified. In its second round, the company recorded a score of 93.8 — a significant increase from 85.9 in the previous certification.

Danone-Aqua first became a certified B corporation in 2018. It was also the first fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) firm in Indonesia to be B Corp-certified.  

According to Danone-Aqua, the achievement aligns with its commitment to support the government achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, as incorporated on the 2020-2024 National Medium-Term Development Plan.  

"Moving forward, we remain committed to upholding the principles of good corporate governance, sustainable business operations, and also to producing environmentally friendly products that can bring benefits for Indonesia," Connie Ang, president director of Danone-Aqua, said in a written statement on Friday.

Globally, Danone seeks to have all of its companies be B Corp certified by 2025.

"Currently, more than 50 percent of Danone's businesses have received B Corp certification. We strive to be the best for the world and bring a positive impact across our chain of operations," Connie said.

The improvement in Danone-Aqua's score this time round is thanks to the company's various initiatives covering employees, environment, consumers, supply chain, distribution, and partners, Tom Steward, the executive director at B Lab Southeast Asia, said.  

"These initiatives include developing Aqua Home Service as a micro-distribution model that has reached more than 8,000 housewives, developing sustainable packaging and circular economy in their business operations, and providing benefits to more than 360,000 beneficiaries with access to clean water," Steward said.

Danone-Aqua's renewable energy utilization by building solar panel installations and 20 biodiversity parks also contribute to the higher score.

"As well as maintaining employees’ welfare by providing 6-month maternity leave for female employees and 10-day paternity leave for the husbands,” Steward said.