HelloFresh To Become First Global Carbon-neutral Meal Kit Company

• Offset programme is an important step in the company’s global carbon reduction strategy
• To offset carbon emissions from internal operations, delivery and corporate travel, HelloFresh will invest in multiple climate protection projects around the globe
• HelloFresh’s climate reduction plan also includes transitioning to green energy in warehouses in the International Segment
• HelloFresh, the world’s leading provider of meal kits, is committing to offset 100% of its direct carbon emission from its internal operations and offices, plus all emissions from delivery to customers and corporate travel as part of the company’s green energy and carbon reduction strategy. This will make HelloFresh the first global carbon-neutral meal kit company. For the International Segment, HelloFresh will partner with Planetly, a climate-tech startup from Berlin and, with their expertise, invest in climate protection projects around the globe. The initiative is expected to offset over 40,000 metric tonnes of carbon for 2020. In the US, HelloFresh is collaborating with TerraPass to offset at least 50,000 metric tonnes of carbon.

Sustainability has always been a fundamental part of HelloFresh’s company strategy. Due to its innovative supply chain, HelloFresh inherently eliminates food waste, which is a major contributor to carbon emissions in the traditional grocery supply chain. In addition, the company has launched its strategy to avoid, reduce and offset carbon emissions.

Investing in climate protection projects around the globe

In cooperation with Planetly, HelloFresh will offset the full amount of direct carbon emissions for 2020 through continuous investment in global climate protection projects as per CCBS Gold Level certification. At a local level, HelloFresh will be supporting Forest Regeneration in New Zealand, a project aiming to turn marginalised land into self-sustaining forests. This project is accredited under the NZ Emissions Trading Scheme (NZ ETS) and covers 70,000 hectares of land in New Zealand, preventing 2 million tonnes of CO2 from being released into the atmosphere each year.

“The number of meals we put on New Zealand tables every week requires a disproportionately low amount of space and energy compared to traditional grocers and other meal providers. Given this inherent advantage in our model we see carbon offsetting as a natural next step.

As the meal kit category continues to grow its importance in the food industry we feel it’s important to drive sustainability action in our category. This year, we have made it a priority to continuously evaluate, measure and reduce our carbon emissions. Our carbon offset program is another step up in our sustainability efforts. I am very happy with the progress we’re making towards becoming a more sustainable business and sustainable way of enjoying delicious home cooked meals,” says Tom Rutledge, CEO of HelloFresh New Zealand.

“We are currently prioritising mitigating the emissions that we directly produce. Our highly optimised production facilities emit significantly less CO2 per dollar of revenue compared to traditional food retailers, which need to cool, heat and light thousands of stores,” explains Tilman Eichstaedt, Senior Vice President Sustainability at HelloFresh. “Furthermore, we deliver our boxes as efficiently as possible for example by shipping them in batches and reducing the number of kilometres travelled through our innovative planning software. This carbon offset initiative is another important milestone towards carbon neutrality and perfectly complements our existing efforts towards becoming a more sustainable company.”

Carbon offset program plays important role in global carbon reduction strategy

Early this year, HelloFresh committed to track and reduce its per meal carbon emissions – in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goal 13. Next to the carbon offset initiative, the company has several other carbon reduction measures in place. These include transitioning warehouses in the company’s International Segment to green energy with HelloFresh already moving to a 100% certified renewable energy supplier to power its warehouse and office in Auckland.

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