HelloFresh Pursues Carbon Neutrality

8/6/2020

HelloFresh is now shipping its meal kits in batches on delivery routes that are planned for maximum performance and minimum fuel.

In line with its corporate sustainability strategy, meal-kit provider HelloFresh has committed to becoming 100% carbon neutral – a global first for the meal-kit space, according to the Berlin-based company.

As of Aug. 4, “we are committing to offset 100% of our direct carbon emissions from our internal operations and offices, plus all emissions from corporate travel and delivery to customers,” wrote HelloFresh founder and CEO Dominik Richter on LinkedIn. “In order to offset our emissions, we are partnering with Planetly, a Berlin-based startup. Together with their expertise, we will invest in climate protection projects around the world. The initiative is expected to offset over 40,000 metric tonnes of carbon for 2020. In the U.S., we are collaborating with TerraPass to offset at least 50,000 metric tonnes of carbon.”

HelloFresh is also transitioning its manufacturing facilities in both of its company segments – U.S. and International – to green energy, and shipping its meal kits in batches on delivery routes that are planned for maximum performance and minimum fuel.

Earlier this year, the company began tracking and reducing its carbon emissions per meal, in accordance with the UN Sustainable Development Goal 13, spurring it to “tackle our carbon emissions on multiple levels,” as Richter put it.

“Our innovative business model helps us to inherently eliminate food waste almost completely, which is the major contributor to carbon emissions in the traditional grocery supply chain,” he noted. “In addition, we have launched a carbon reduction strategy in order to avoid, reduce and finally offset the carbon emissions that are produced along our entire value chain – to eventually reach our goal of carbon neutrality.”

Observing that HelloFresh had “many more [sustainability] initiatives in the pipeline,” Richter said that he was “looking forward to announcing these soon.”

HelloFresh is No. 88 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer's 2020 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America.