Light & Free

How ethical is Light & Free?

Light & Free is a yoghurt brand which has a below-benchmark score on The Good Shopping Guide’s Ethical Yoghurt Ratings Table. Although Light & Free has not yet met our ethical benchmark, we hope to see the brand make progress in the future.

We would have extra confidence in Light & Free if it submitted itself to apply for Ethical Accreditation, whereby The Good Shopping Guide would make further detailed assessment and recommendations for ethical improvement. Find out more about the ethical issues facing the Yoghurt sector.

What does Light & Free do?

Light & Free makes a range of Greek-style yoghurt and claims to contain no fat or added sugars.

In which areas does Light & Free perform poorly?

Light & Free was marked down under our criteria for Animal Testing due to past criticisms of parent company, Danone, and no evidence to counter this.

Danone has contributed over $59k to political organisations in recent election cycles so Light & Free receives a middle rating for our Political Donations criteria. Find out more about how we rate by exploring our ethical criteria.

Past Criticisms of Light & Free’s record

Danone was fined by Argentina’s Trade Secretariat in 2023 for selling products with monthly price increases up to ten times over the limit set by the Fair Prices agreement. Danone is also amongst the top ten biggest plastic polluters worldwide, using a huge amount of plastic in its packaging, and has been named as one of the companies sourcing palm oil from suppliers responsible for widespread deforestation and human rights abuses in Papua New Guinea.

In which areas does Light & Free score well for its ethics?

Light & Free’s parent company, Danone, has a detailed ‘nature’ section within its Integrated Annual Report 2022 containing targets and evidence of progress relating to carbon emissions, energy efficiency, packaging and more. Light & Free scores well for Nuclear, Fossil Fuels and Armaments due to a lack of criticisms across these criteria.

How can Light & Free improve its ethical rating?

The below-benchmark score that Light & Free is awarded with on The Good Shopping Guide’s Ethical Yoghurt Ratings Table is the result of an evaluation of multiple ethical criteria.

To reach our minimum ethical benchmark and qualify for Ethical Accreditation, Light & Free has some issues to resolve, including Political Donations. If it applies for Ethical Accreditation, The Good Shopping Guide will be able to give Light & Free some guidance to improve on these areas.

Were you aware that your brand could benefit from Ethical Accreditation? Brands accredited by The Good Shopping Guide can display our Ethical Mark, showcasing to consumers that it is an ethical and sustainable brand. If you’re interested in learning more, please contact us or complete a Free Initial Assessment form.