Food industry, confectionery, chocolate and chocolate products
About
The nu company wants to revolt the chocolate industry with its products: true to the motto "For a world in which we all want to live: Green, fair and outrageously delicious", they market the popular confectionery according to different standards than the global competition. This is because the latter is partly responsible for several serious abuses: child labour still exists in this industry, rainforest areas are deforested and pesticides are used. In addition, chocolate products are usually packaged in plastic, which is rarely recycled. The nu company firmly believes that consumers should not sacrifice the pleasure of chocolate to adopt environmentally friendly practices. They advocate that, by assuming responsibility for their business practices, producers can provide a guilt-free and eco-conscious indulgence for consumers. In addition to classic chocolate bars and bars in various flavours, the company's product range now also includes nuts and freeze-dried fruit with a chocolate coating, which are marketed under the trade name Nucao.
Sustainable Development
Nucao has integrated sustainability into its business plan from the outset, demonstrating a steadfast commitment to pioneering sustainable practices. The company prioritizes organic certification, fair trade partnerships, environmental impact reduction, and climate-neutral production. Utilizing renewable energies, sustainable packaging, and supporting local communities are core elements of Nucao's approach. This holistic strategy emphasizes environmental, social, and economic considerations, aiming not only to deliver quality products but also to contribute positively to a more sustainable future.
Sustainability Impact
The aspect of sustainability is an integral part of Nucao's business activities. All processes and actions are designed with this aspect in mind. They not only focus on the area of environmental impact, but also on social issues. Transparency has always been important to them - greenwashing is not an option for the company.
https://www.the-nu-company.com/
SDGs goals and Sustainable development strategy
GOAL 1: No Poverty: Fair payment for cocoa farmers & Added value for the communities implementing the reforestation projects.
Goal 3. Good Health and Well-Being: Reduced sugar products, without flavourings and sweeteners & few, natural ingredients with high nutritional density.
Goal 5. Gender Equality: Women and men are both paid a fair wage.
Goal 12. Responsible Consumption and Production: Fair trade; Ecological cultivation of various ingredients (e.g. sugar beet) and promotion of biodiversity on site & vegan products; animal suffering is avoided by not using animal ingredients.
Goal 13. Climate Action: Reforestation projects; Promotion of organic production & Sustainable (compostable) packaging.
GOAL 15: Life on Land: Less deforestation through payment of premiums to farmers. When payments are low, farmers sometimes resort to environmentally damaging practices. For example, they then expand their areas through illegal deforestation in order to generate more income.
GOAL 17: Partnerships to achieve the Goal: The nu company is a network partner of various associations such as Startups for Tomorrow and The Good Food Collective.
Strategy & Mission
With nucao, the three young entrepreneurs want to create a flagship project for sustainable business. Their mission is not only to sell sustainable products but also to convey the message that consumption does not always have to end in a conflict between pleasure and conscience. They want nothing less than to sell a holistically sustainable product (ingredients, packaging, support for social projects at the time of purchase). One of their key projects to offset unavoidable emissions is the reforestation of forests in Madagascar and Nepal. The aim is to plant one billion trees.
Innovative approaches &Challenges
Nucao obtains 100% of its cocoa from organic sources in Peru. The farmers are paid fairly. Only fair payment enables them to avoid exploitative practices such as child labour, deforestation and the use of pesticides. The company therefore pays the farmers an extra premium in addition to the organic and Fairtrade bonus. This amounts to 3500 US dollars per tonne of cocoa. For comparison: the trade price for cocoa is around 2400 US dollars (as of 11/2022). In addition, the smallholders receive a share of the sales price, which they can use for social purposes within their community. Nucao also promotes local biodiversity with mixed crops and agroforestry. The chocolate products are packaged in environmentally friendly home-compostable film or recyclable paper. Nucao is the first chocolate manufacturer to use paper packaging as its primary packaging.
Advice
Do not set your goals too high and keep your focus. The quality of target fulfilment is crucial. Nucao took a step back with the health promise and switched from coconut blossom sugar to beet sugar, as this is more in line with the sustainability promise and they have chosen this as their main focus. It is often better to focus on a few areas and consistently pursue the projects that have been defined. However, these changes and rebalancing of corporate values should always be transparent. Nucao made the right decision here with the relaunch and took the consumers with them. The trust of the target group must not be violated. Consumers in particular, who consider sustainability to be an important quality feature, must be able to rely on the promises made by companies, as they cannot check the relevant processes themselves.
