HelloFresh: Transitioning to a plastic-free future?

Abstract

The packaging practices of HelloFresh have come under scrutiny in recent years as a result of the company’s remarkable expansion success. Customers have cancelled their meal-kit subscriptions due to the excessive use of plastic packaging for ingredients. In response to these events, HelloFresh began to seek alternatives to replace plastic packaging for its ingredients, but ultimately found that the currently available packaging technology makes it impossible to eliminate plastic completely. HelloFresh is therefore looking for ways to communicate with customers about its sustainability message and their actions to be cost-effective, retain food-safety, and foster sustainability with regard to packaging while making innovative changes in its packaging processes. In the current stage of the sustainability transition for packaging materials in which no ready-at-hand solutions are available, it is crucial for HelloFresh to strike a balance between converting its packaging practices to be more sustainable and communicating this message effectively to its customers.