Alpro

How ethical and sustainable is Alpro? 

The Ethical Vegan Milk Ratings Table from The Good Shopping Guide includes Alpro, a brand of plant-based milk. Unfortunately, Alpro falls short of our ethical standard, primarily due to its ownership by French conglomerate, Danone.

Visit The Good Shopping Guide to Ethical Vegan Milk for additional details regarding the importance of purchasing plant milks from ethical brands.

What does Alpro do?

Alpro is a brand known for its vegan milk products, it began in 1973 when they started curating a soya-based drink which was later launched in 1979 in Belgium. Alpro sells a large range of plant-based products including protein drinks, desserts and yoghurt alternatives as well as its best-selling dairy-free milk.

Alpro was acquired by Danone in 2016 when it purchased Alpro’s former parent company, WhiteWave Foods.

For which criteria does Alpro perform poorly? 

Alpro receives a low rating for its Public Record Criticisms and Public Record Criticisms+, which is only given to companies which have received more than 5 serious ethical criticisms. The brand’s parent company, Danone, has been linked to numerous unethical practices, either directly or through its supply chain. This includes issues such as greenwashing, plastic pollution, unsustainable palm oil consumption, deforestation, human rights abuses and more.

In what areas does Alpro score well for its ethics?

Alpro receives a high rating in the Organic category, as some Alpro products are certified as organic by the Soil Association.

How can Alpro improve its ethical rating?

The three criteria of the Environment, People, and Animals are used by The Good Shopping Guide to determine a brand’s Ethical Rating. (Find out more information about our research methodology here.)

To achieve a higher GSG score, Alpro’s parent company, Danone, should clean up its act in several areas. The most important category to address is Public Record Criticisms, which could be improved upon if Danone ceased involvement in unethical activities, including within its supply chain.

Why not check out The Good Shopping Guide’s Ethical Accreditation if you work for or with a vegan milk company that places ethics high on its priority list? Contact us to learn more, or complete our short form for an initial evaluation to get the process started.