Can Food Save The Planet? An Abel & Cole case study

In this episode, we will be answering the question: does food have the power to save the world?

We are joined by Ed Ayton and Stef Sahmel from Abel & Cole, an organic food delivery service who are on a mission to simplify shopping sustainably. They are a fellow B Corporation who have been working with us to measuring and reduce their carbon footprint since 2019.

Highlights:

• Abel and Cole are constantly looking for opportunities to reduce their environmental and social impact, from volunteering and charitable giving, to educating their consumers, to having as little packaging as possible.
• Ed and Stef talk about the benefits of working for as B Corporation, and how Abel and Cole’s culture and purpose make it a fantastic place to work.
• Abel & Cole have implemented a Climate Emergency project to cut their emissions in half by 2030. This involves assessing their carbon footprint, identifying carbon hotspots, and taking action to drive down those emissions.
• Stef talks about working with Green Element to measure, report, and reduce their carbon footprint, and how they identified the 3 carbon hotspots of meat, dairy, and transport.
• Stef and Ed describe the process of conducting a life cycle analysis on their fruit and veg boxes, with the help of Green Element.
• By setting science-based targets, Abel and Cole can identify and reduce emissions across their scopes 1, 2, and 3 emissions.
• Ed discusses regenerative farming that focuses on soil health; over 70% of Abel & Cole’s products are certified by the Soil Association.
• Stef and Ed talk about the different ways that they engage their customers in their sustainability journey and highlight the importance of storytelling and finding something that people can relate to.

Resources:

Abel and Cole: Organic food delivery. Organic vegetable boxes, fruit, meat & more | Abel & Cole (abelandcole.co.uk)

B Corp: The UK B Corporation Movement

Science-based targets initiative: Ambitious corporate climate action - Science Based Targets

The Soil Association: Soil Association