Hello Fresh aims to become the world’s first carbon-neutral meal-kit maker by offsetting the full amount of its direct carbon emissions this year.
The offsets will include those from internal and office operations as well as from delivery to customers and corporate travel.
“The number of meals we put on Australian tables every week requires a disproportionately low amount of space and energy compared to traditional grocers and other meal providers,” said Tom Rutledge, CEO of Hello Fresh Australia. “Given this inherent advantage in our business model, we see carbon offsetting as a natural next step especially as we continue to grow our business and our role in the food industry.”
To achieve the plan, the company will invest in several climate-protection projects within Australia and internationally.
“This year, we have made it a priority to continuously evaluate, measure and reduce our carbon emissions. Our carbon offset programme is another step in amplifying our sustainability efforts,” Rutledge said.
For the international segment, Hello Fresh will team with Berlin-based startup Planetly to offset more than 40,000 metric tonnes of carbon for this year.
Within the country, Hello Fresh will support the Yarra Yarra Biodiversity Project in the midwest of Western Australia. The project’s purpose is to plant up to 40 native tree and shrub species in order to return the environment to its origins.
“We are currently prioritising mitigating the emissions that we produce,” said Tilman Eichstaedt, senior VP sustainability at Hello Fresh. “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.”
Besides the carbon offset initiative, the company has already started several other carbon reduction measures including transitioning warehouses to green energy.
