HelloFresh UK certifies as a B-Corp

Globally

HelloFresh UK claims it is the largest recipe box company to have been certified a B-Lab, which assesses businesses’ environmental impacts; impacts on the community; worker treatment; governance frameworks and interactions with customers. The only other recipe box company certified in the UK is Mindful Chef.

The news from HelloFresh UK comes after the business updated its sustainability commitments in March, following a boom in sales in 2020.

New commitments include halving food waste intensity by 2022, against a 2020 baseline, and reducing the carbon intensity of production facilities by 60% within the same timeframe. Intensity is measured in grams of food waste per euro of revenue and emissions per euro of revenue. These commitments apply globally; aside from the UK, HelloFresh operates in the US, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Australia, Austria, Switzerland, Canada, New Zealand, Sweden, France, Denmark and Norway.

HelloFresh UK’s B-Corp certification also applies to its sister brand, Green Chef UK. As with all other B-Corps, HelloFresh will need to recertify within three years.

“Their commitment to doing business differently will be an inspiration to others and really help spread the idea that we can redefine success in business to be as much about people and planet as it is about profit,” B Lab UK’s director of programmes and engagement Kate Sandle said. B Lab UK is the certifying body for B-Corps in the UK.

“Their commitment to doing business differently will be an inspiration to others and really help spread the idea that we can redefine success in business to be as much about people and planet as it is about profit,” Sandle added.

Growing community

Also announcing B-Corp certification this week is British commercial property management firm MAPP, which believes it is the largest business of its kind to be certified by B Lab UK.

In a statement, MAPP said it had taken a year to complete the B-Corp application and accreditation process. Throughout this period, it has introduced measures to help employees lease low-emission vehicles on the environmental side of things. On the social side, it has improved maternity leave policies, abolished zero-hours contracts, made financial coaching available to all staff and forged and renewed a string of partnerships focused on diversity and inclusion.

MAPP’s chief ecutive Nigel Mapp said: “There is an authentic correlation between the principles of B-Corporation and the practices and standards we aspire to, so pursuing this accreditation felt like a natural progression in the MAPP story.

“Becoming part of the B-Corporation movement is the beginning of a new chapter. It provides us with the formal framework to continue to push the boundaries with how we deliver, measure and assess the impact we have with our people, partners, the community and environment, while empowering us to build on our progress and do even better.” 

Globally, there are now more than 4,000 B-Corps, of which some 500 are UK-based. Certified UK-based firms include Bulb, The Guardian Media Group, BrewDog and innocent Drinks.

Readers wishing to learn more about the evolution of the B-Corp movement in the UK are encouraged to watch edie’s recent panel discussion on the topic, featuring experts from Ella’s Kitchen, Dai Wear, Springwise and Paradigm Norton.

Sarah George