Abel & Cole | B Corp™

We’ve finally cracked refillable milk bottles. And we want to tell you how. After 3 years. 7 teams of experts. And 3 failed experiments. We’ve done it. Thanks to plastic. Surprised? So were we. We’ve been saying no to pointless plastic since 1988. But by switching to our Club Zero Milk Refillable plastic bottles, our new innovation could save the UK 300,000 tonnes of carbon a year.* But only if all of our industry makes the switch. We’ve got years of learnings to share. And experts excited to tell you about it. All you have to do is get in touch. We’re ready when you are. Tesco Waitrose & Partners Asda Aldi UK Sainsbury's Lidl GB Marks and Spencer Ocado Retail Ltd Morrisons *Find out more and get in touch: https://bit.ly/3ZWgsVx Difficult tastes better. #ClubZero #Sustainability #Packaging #ZeroWaste #Plastic

In 2022, we launched Plastic Pick-Up – our game-changing doorstep recycling scheme for hard-to-recycle flexi-plastics. We targeted these materials because only 16% of UK councils collect flexi-plastics from the kerbside. But with Plastic Pick-Up, we can help our shoppers recycle them consistently and effectively. Saving them from landfill and putting them to better use. The Plastic Pick-Up process begins with customers filling up our recycling bags with their flexi-plastic (from any retailer, not just us). We collect these from their homes each week, alongside our reusable delivery boxes and Club Zero refills. The flexi-plastic is then sent to our trusted partner to be recycled into building groundsheets in the UK. “We work with our supply chain to eliminate single-use plastic as much as possible. In 2023, we collected nearly 80 tonnes of flexible plastic packaging, successfully recycling 80% of it into useful films for the construction industry. Normally, these materials would be condemned to general waste. But Plastic Pick-Up is our effort to ensure that this hard-to-recycle material is retained in the loop as the UK makes the transition to national kerbside collections.” Hugo Lynch, Sustainability Lead Check out the Planet chapter of our latest Sustainability Report, to learn more: https://bit.ly/3A7yN9u #Sustainability #Recycle #Plastic #Packaging

Many believe that compostable plastics offer a more sustainable alternative to non-degradable plastic. We think differently. In 2022, we looked into the science behind compostables and discovered some problems. - Right now, it’s difficult to reliably dispose of compostables responsibly, due to a lack of recycling infrastructure in the UK. - It’s not always clear which materials are used in compostable plastics. - And there’s a growing body of evidence doubting their claims of breaking down. These points convinced us that most compostable plastics don’t end up where they should, and can even pose a risk to our efforts to be more circular. So we made the decision to eliminate all single-use compostable packaging from our range – on the basis that we couldn’t guarantee it would be dealt with appropriately. Instead, we’ve encouraged our suppliers to move to single-material plastic films that we can collect through Plastic Pick-Up, or to opt for a refillable container through Club Zero. Find out more about our decision to move away from comppostables in our blog, here: https://bit.ly/4ctMHAd #AbelandCole #Sustainability #Compostable #Packaging

We were incredibly proud to feature in Lucy Dearlove's Out of the Box series on the Lecker podcast. This series is all about taking a look at what surrounds the food we eat. From packaging to historical meaning. On their episode, “Reinventing the Milk Bottle with Abel & Cole”, they turned to our award-winning Club Zero milk bottles. There’s also an interview with our very own Sustainability Lead, Hugo Lynch. We love to see our sustainable innovations get the recognition they deserve, as well as the long, hard-fought journey it took to create them. You can check out the episode, here: https://lnkd.in/eayf8chk And learn more about Club Zero, here: https://bit.ly/41XufvY #Recycle #Packaging #Plastic #Sustainability

Cutting back on packaging is one of our top priorities. That’s why we regularly compare the amount of plastic used in our organic Medium Fruit & Veg Box against the amount used by Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Ocado and Waitrose. To make things fair, we always try to make comparisons against equivalent products found in their organic ranges. Our latest comparative study was undertaken at the end of 2023, when we partnered with respected plastic campaign group Everyday Plastic. Their expertise and a long look over multiple weeks’ worth of boxes gave us confidence in the results. Thanks to the efforts of everyone involved, our study revealed that we’d reduced the amount of plastic we use vs. the supermarkets even further in 2023. In fact, we found a huge 91% less plastic in our boxes. The results also offered us valuable insight into how we use packaging throughout the seasons. We know there are some months when the nature of what we’re packing requires plastic. For example, salad leaves require more packaging to preserve their quality and prevent food waste. Check out the Product chapter in our latest Sustainability Report, to learn more: https://bit.ly/3A7yN9u #Sustainability #Recycle #Plastic #Packaging

We’re always challenging ourselves to make packaging choices that are better for the environment – without compromising on cost or quality. It’s an important part of our sustainable Packaging Policy: Refuse Firstly, we consider whether packaging is necessary at all, ensuring quality and safety aren’t affected. If a fruit is protected by its own natural packaging for example, there’s no need to use plastic. Reuse Where packaging is required, we try to work with our suppliers to switch to using refillable packaging – like with our Club Zero range. Recycle Finally, we use materials that can be easily recycled. If there's something our customers can’t recycle at home, we’ll collect it alongside their delivery boxes and take care of it responsibly. See our Product chapter in our latest Sustainability Report, to learn more: https://bit.ly/3A7yN9u #Sustainability #Recycle #Reuse #Packaging

The wellbeing of everyone who works for Abel & Cole is incredibly important to us. That includes the workers in our supply chains too. By assessing the risk of labour issues, such as child workers or modern slavery, we can get a snapshot of where the hotspots might be. This then makes it easier for us and our suppliers to mitigate any risks. For 2023, we aimed to have 70% of our active suppliers complete a Sedex risk assessment (or equivalent). By the end of the year, we met that target with 71% of active suppliers completing their assessments. Although necessary, and increasingly required by law, they still require a lot of effort from everyone involved. But we’re incredibly grateful to our suppliers for providing reassurance that the people behind our products are being treated fairly. “The risk of modern slavery in UK businesses has increased dramatically in recent years, so it's crucial that we continue to work closer with our suppliers to keep everyone working for us safe. Risk assessments like these are just our first step, but a vital one, and the information we get is invaluable.” Ed Ayton, Sustainability & Ethics Advisor #EthicalBusiness #Wellbeing #BCorp

We’re committed to cutting our carbon emissions wherever we can. In our latest sutainability report, we show just how much progress we’ve made. As well as where we still have work to do. In 2023, we took action in the following key areas: - We began replacing our diesel delivery vans, company cars and forklift trucks with electric vehicles. A clear step towards our Clean Van Commitment to deliver zero tailpipe emissions in cities by 2028. - We’re now using HVO (hydrogenated vegetable oil) fuel in around 30% of our delivery vans. This helps reduce associated emissions by up to 90%, compared to diesel from fossil fuels. - We’ve always optimised our delivery routes to take the quickest, most fuel-efficient approach. But in 2023, we introduced new technology to help our drivers make even more significant reductions. These actions have enabled us to significantly decrease our Scope 1 emissions. We did also see a small increase in Scope 2 emissions but the net effect has been a positive one, with a clear drop in overall emissions. We’re proud of the progress we’ve made but our work to cut our carbon emissions never stops. Find out more in our latest report: https://bit.ly/3A7yN9u #Sustainability #Carbon #CarbonEmissions #ClimateChange

At Abel & Cole, we’ve put sustainability first since 1988. It’s not easy, and we don’t always get things right. But as a dedicated B Corp, we’re committed to being transparent about our social and environmental impact. Building a better future benefits everyone – it’s not a competition. By sharing both our achievements and our challenges, we want to inspire others to act. Helping them face the difficult questions and joining us in innovating new solutions. One of the ways we show transparency is with our annual Sustainability Reports. They’re a powerful tool for change, providing they show progress and accountability. Which is why for our 2023 report, our Sustainability Team have chosen to show exactly how we’ve done against our targets. Take a look at our latest report, here: https://bit.ly/3A7yN9u #Sustainability #BCorp #AbelandCole #Cooperation

In 2022, we worked on a disruptive new strategy for Abel & Cole | B Corp™, re-thinking how a food brand talks about sustainability. By understanding the audience in detail, the creative platform "Difficult Tastes Better" was born, celebrating the difficult steps Abel & Cole and consumers make to be as sustainable as possible. The fantastic Georgina Holland (MA) talks to Marketing Week about the strategy and creative work here 👇 https://lnkd.in/g_TjH7-2