Blue Apron Sets New Sustainable Packaging Goals

Rhea-AI Summary

Blue Apron (NYSE: APRN) has set ambitious sustainability goals for its meal kit packaging, aiming for 100% recyclable, reusable, or compostable materials by the end of 2025. Additionally, the company targets 75% post-consumer recycled content in its packaging. This initiative makes Blue Apron the first major U.S. meal kit provider to commit to such time-bound packaging goals. Currently, 85% of its packaging is recyclable. The company emphasizes reducing environmental impact while delivering quality ingredients, actively engaging with third-party partners to enhance its sustainability efforts.

Positive

• First major U.S. meal kit company to establish time-bound packaging goals.
• 85% of current packaging is recyclable by weight.
• Plans to use 75% post-consumer recycled content in packaging by 2025.

Negative

• Challenges in procuring sufficient recyclable materials may impact goals.
• Potential supply chain disruptions due to COVID-19 may hinder progress.

Blue Apron (NYSE: APRN) today announced a new sustainable packaging goal for its meal kit boxes of 100% recyclable, reusable or compostable by the end of 2025. The company also strives to use 75% post-consumer recycled content, by weight, in its meal kit boxes by the end of 2025.

By establishing these goals, Blue Apron is the first major meal kit company in the United States to announce time-bound targets around packaging goals.

“With these new goals, we are building on our history of sustainability through food waste reduction, packaging improvements, and ingredient standards,” said Linda Findley Kozlowski, Blue Apron’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “We estimate that our meal kit packaging is currently 85% recyclable by weight, and we are the first major meal kit company in the United States to use only drain safe frozen gel packs in all of our boxes. While we’ve made significant progress, we recognize that our next big opportunity is further improvements in packaging across our business.”

Delivering high-quality, responsibly-sourced ingredients while minimizing environmental impact has always been a priority at Blue Apron. The company became the first major meal kit company to join the U.S. Food Loss & Waste 2030 Champions in 2016, and it estimates that it had exceeded its goal of reducing food waste in its fulfilment center operations by 50% between 2017 and 2019. In addition, cooking Blue Apron meal kit recipes could reduce a person’s carbon footprint by an estimated 25%, compared to preparing the same meal from ingredients purchased from a grocery store.* The company is also the only major meal kit company in the United States to have publicly established goals around animal welfare standards.

Setting the new packaging goals is one of the priorities of Blue Apron’s corporate social and environmental impact program, Aprons For All. The company is dedicated to managing the environmental and social impacts of its business to support an ethical, resilient food system. To learn more about Aprons For All, visit blog.blueapron.com/aprons-for-all.

“Carbon offsets are not the sole solution to improving sustainability,” continued Findley Kozlowski. “We are working to reduce the environmental impact of the full production and waste process in our operations to minimize our impact right from the start of the cycle.”

To achieve its new packaging goals for its meal kits, Blue Apron plans to continue to build on its progress by:

• Using dynamic packaging: With the help of Blue Apron-designed technology, the company optimizes its packaging based on various attributes of a customer’s weekly meal kit order. This allows for the appropriate packaging configuration with the goal of ensuring safe delivery, while reducing the amount of packaging used.
• Identifying new packaging opportunities: Blue Apron’s packaging engineering lab conducts regular tests on new materials and innovative solutions to identify opportunities to reduce environmental footprint, including improved recyclability and increased post-consumer recycled content. This lab facilitates collaboration between members of the Packaging Engineering, Food Safety and Quality Assurance, Operations, and Corporate Social Responsibility teams.
• Engaging the right partners: To ensure accountability and support progress toward its goals, Blue Apron continues to engage reputable, third-party partners. This includes How2Recycle^®, a respected standardized labeling system that clearly communicates recycling instructions to the public, and Sustainable Packaging Coalition, a leading voice in packaging sustainability.

Full details of Blue Apron’s packaging commitment can be found at blog.blueapron.com/sustainable-packaging-goals.

*According to a University of Michigan paper published in 2019, which can be found at https://bit.ly/3x5pGjf.

About Blue Apron

Blue Apron’s vision is “better living through better food.” Launched in 2012, Blue Apron offers fresh, chef-designed recipes that empower home cooks to embrace their culinary curiosity and challenge their abilities to see what a difference cooking quality food can make in their lives. Through its mission to spark discovery, connection and joy through cooking, Blue Apron continuously focuses on bringing incredible recipes to its customers, while minimizing its carbon footprint, reducing food waste, and promoting diversity and inclusion.

Forward-Looking Statement

This press release includes statements concerning Blue Apron Holdings, Inc. and its future expectations, plans and prospects that constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. For this purpose, any statements contained herein that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as "may," "should," "expects," "plans," “forecasts,” "anticipates," "could," "intends," "target," "projects," "contemplates," "believes," "estimates," "predicts," "potential," or "continue," or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions. Blue Apron has based these forward-looking statements largely on its current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that it believes may affect its business, financial condition and results of operations. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions including, without limitation, the company’s ability to procure sufficient amounts of recyclable, reusable or compostable packaging materials and/or packaging materials made of post-consumer recycled content by weight; any material and adverse impact due to the COVID-19 pandemic or otherwise on the company’s operations or the operations of the company’s current or future packaging suppliers including as a result of insufficient labor, whether as a result of heightened absenteeism or challenges in recruiting and retention or otherwise; its expectations regarding, and the stability of, the company and its packaging suppliers’ supply chain, including potential shortages or interruptions in the supply or delivery of packaging materials; the company’s ability to comply with modified or new laws and regulations applying to its business; and other risks more fully described in the company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020 filed with the SEC on February 23, 2021 and the company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2021 filed with the SEC on May 6, 2021, and in other filings that the company may make with the SEC in the future. The company assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this press release as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210708005242/en/

FAQ

What are Blue Apron's new packaging goals for 2025?

Blue Apron aims for 100% of its meal kit packaging to be recyclable, reusable, or compostable by 2025, with 75% consisting of post-consumer recycled content.

Is Blue Apron the first meal kit company to set sustainability goals?

Yes, Blue Apron is the first major meal kit company in the U.S. to announce specific time-bound sustainability packaging goals.

What percentage of Blue Apron's packaging is currently recyclable?

As of now, Blue Apron estimates that 85% of its meal kit packaging is recyclable by weight.

How does Blue Apron plan to achieve its packaging sustainability goals?

The company plans to optimize packaging based on meal kit orders, test new materials, and engage third-party partners for accountability.

What impact could COVID-19 have on Blue Apron's sustainability goals?

COVID-19 could disrupt supply chains, affecting the procurement of sustainable packaging materials and potentially hindering Blue Apron's goals.