Energy, Emissions
and all things sustainable
Meet Ben, our Operations Associate
2022 was a significant year for us because, after seven years in business following our self-imposed morals and values, we decided to invite in third-party consultants and to pursue the B Corp certification to get validated as an ethical business that’s serving the community.
Ben took a leading role in the whole application process and also was the project manager of publishing our first ever sustainability report.
Ben, you’ve been in charge of sustainability at Brammibal’s. What measures have you taken to analyze the status quo? And what goals have you set for yourself?
Given we are a vegan company, it’s not as
straightforward to compare ourselves to other big players in the market because our emissions are comparably lower already. I would say our sustainability efforts are based on self-reflection of our own practices.
At this point, it’s about finding tools that record our processes and monitor them, so that we can see how we can lower our emissions. We set clear, numeric goals; however, my main personal sustainability goal is to get Brammibal’s certified as a B Corp.
What surprised you after analyzing Brammibal’s CO2 emissions?
The biggest surprise was definitely how much of our CO2 emissions are caused by the raw materials. Especially how high the impact of our frying oil is. And then obviously our packaging.
What measures did you take, and are you planning to reduce emissions even more?
Given we rent a lot of buildings and cannot always choose our energy providers, we decided to focus on the areas where we have the power to change the status quo. Our strategy has been to choose electrical appliances that are extremely efficient. We’ve, for example, also experimented with the life
span of our oil and whether it’s possible to extend it without negotiating the quality of our donuts. We’re also looking for more sustainable packaging solutions. For example, we have introduced a reusable box, but our longterm goal is to also lower the environmental impact of our single-use packaging.
What’s been especially challenging for you during this process?
I personally find it sometimes very hard to be in charge of changing processes in a company that I really love and respect. It’s a balancing act because I am making sure we’re doing the right thing and developing in the right (more sustainable) way, but it’s also been a steep learning curve, and sometimes the right thing to do is not 100% clear at the start. When I look at where we are now and where we started, we’ve definitely come a long way.
If you’re interested in learning more about each topic, head to our report👇
