Irish plant-forward frozen food brand Strong Roots has launched climate footprint labels across all its packaging to help climate-friendly consumers make informed purchase decisions.
To calculate its emissions, Strong Roots has partnered with Swedish climate company CarbonCloud. Its intelligent software allows Strong Roots to effectively monitor and assess the carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxide, and methane emissions associated with each product’s lifecycle, from ingredients to shelf to distribution. With the information, Strong Roots can establish an emission baseline and develop a roadmap to identify areas for improvement in its production process, Samuel Dennigan, founder and CEO of Strong Roots, told Forbes.
Environmental concerns
While health considerations are still essential for purchasing plant-based products, a significant portion of people (45%) are motivated by environmental concerns, according to a study conducted by Strong Roots. These figures will increase as Generation Z grows and powers the next wave of sustainable purchases based on GHG emissions, the major driver of the climate crisis. For example, meat and cheese are the biggest emitters, but if people switch to vegan diets, emissions could be slashed by 75%.
Many companies are implementing general climate labels to position themselves as sustainable and align with climate-friendly consumers. But, according to Dennigan, consumers expect brands to be more accountable for their environmental impact, so climate footprint labels are a transparent way of showing a company’s efforts to mitigate the carbon emissions of its products.
Companies such as Quorn, One Planet Pizza, and Oatly have introduced carbon emissions labels on their products to help consumers better understand the impact of their shopping on the environment.
Climate crusaders
Founded in 2015, Strong Roots has expanded rapidly on an international scale with its extensive range of frozen vegan products, including vegetable fingers, chips, cauliflower hash browns, and 14 plant-based entrees such as Thai Green Veg Curry, Greek Orzo Pasta Bake, or Veggie Masala. With a clean label ethic and B Corp certification, Strong Roots reportedly has raised €95 million to date, including a $55 million investment made by McCain Foods.
“Conscious consumption has been growing in popularity for a number of years, this year will see a mass amplification of the commitment to sustainability seen by consumers and retailers. Foodies are becoming climate crusaders, across the board we are seeing this, and our continuing growth is affirming this,” Dennigan told vegconomist in an interview.
