Albert Heijn is working towards becoming a certified B Corp.

Albert Heijn is working towards becoming a certified B Corp.

Ahold Delhaize is pleased to announce that the local Dutch brand Albert Heijn is working towards becoming certified as a B Corp. Companies who operate in accordance with rigorous principles of corporate social responsibility are given this honour.

Additionally, Albert Heijn is launching a test programme that will implement genuine pricing for coffee in three of their locations. This information was provided by the grocery chain during the presentation of its annual sustainability report for the year 2022.

The B Corporation designation will acknowledge Albert Heijn’s aspirational push towards a more healthy, socially responsible, and environmentally sustainable society. This aligns with Albert Heijn’s vision, which is to “Make better food accessible together. For everyone.”

Efforts to improve the state of the globe

Albert Heijn is dedicated to making contributions towards a more sustainable food system across the entire value chain in a manner that engages with all five pillars required for B Corp accreditation, namely governance, the environment, employees, consumers, and communities.

This includes environmentally friendly practises such as wasting less food, rethinking the packaging, and expanding the range of products to include more vegetarian and plant-based options.

But also through developing transportation techniques that are less harmful to the environment, reducing emissions of greenhouse gases, improving safeguards for human rights, and creating production practises that are kinder to animals, the environment, and people.

Marit van Egmond provides the following explanation: “The B Corp framework provides us with insight into where we can further improve our social and environmental performance.”

As a company named Albert Heijn, we are constantly seeking for new ways to make a positive difference and touch the world around us. This is further supported by the impartial evaluation carried out by B Lab, which might result in B Corp accreditation.

Concerning B Corp.

The term “B Corp” refers to a certification that is awarded to businesses that operate for profit and are evaluated on the basis of the social and environmental impact they have.

Companies are put through a rigorous evaluation that focuses on how they affect five different pillars: governance, the environment, employees, and customers and communities. There are currently over 6,500 B Corps operating in 89 different countries, making up the B Corp community.

True pricing
Today, Albert Heijn also made the announcement that it will begin a trial project in collaboration with True Pricing. Customers will be able to purchase coffee at its regular price at three different outlets owned by Albert Heijn.

The average retail price is added to the social and environmental costs incurred along the full value chain to arrive at the true price.

Through this experiment, Albert Heijn hopes to accomplish three goals: increase customer knowledge of social and environmental costs; assist customers in making decisions that are more environmentally responsible; and obtain customer feedback.

For the purpose of carrying out this experiment, Albert Heijn is collaborating with the non-profit organisation True Price. The additional funds are put to use by Albert Heijn in the form of investments, which are then made in conjunction with the Rainforest Alliance with the purpose of enhancing the coffee supply chain.

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Albert Heijn is the largest supermarket chain in the Netherlands, founded in 1887 by Albert Heijn Sr. The company is a subsidiary of Ahold Delhaize, an international retail group based in the Netherlands and Belgium.

Albert operates both physical stores and an online platform, providing a wide variety of groceries, fresh produce, and household items to customers.