Zaandam, April 18, 2023 – Ahold Delhaize is pleased to share that local Dutch brand, Albert Heijn, is on its way to B Corp certification. This is awarded to companies that meet high standards in corporate social responsibility. Albert Heijn is also starting a pilot with true pricing for coffee in three stores. The supermarket chain announced this during the presentation of its annual sustainability report for 2022. With Albert Heijn's mission of 'Making better food accessible together. For everyone.’, the B Corp certification will recognize Albert Heijn's ambitious movement towards a healthy, social and sustainable society.
Making the world a better place
Albert Heijn is committed to contributing to a more sustainable food system throughout the value chain in a way that touches on all five pillars of B Corp certification: governance, environment, employees, customers and community. This includes sustainability initiatives like wasting less food, packaging differently and including more vegetarian and plant-based products in the assortment. But also, through more sustainable transportation, less greenhouse gas emissions, better protection of human rights and the development of production methods that are better for animals, nature and people. Marit van Egmond explains: "The B Corp framework gives us insight into where we can further improve our social and environmental performance. As Albert Heijn, we are always looking for ways to make a difference and impact in a positive way. The independent assessment from B Lab, which can lead to B Corp certification, reinforces this."
About B Corp
B Corp is a certification for for-profit companies that are evaluated for their social and environmental impact. Companies undergo a rigorous assessment that focuses on their impact on five pillars: governance, environment, employees, customers, and community. The B Corp community currently includes more than 6,500 B Corps across 89 countries.
True pricing
Albert Heijn also announced today that it is starting a pilot project with True Pricing. In three Albert Heijn stores, customers will be able to buy coffee at the true price. The true price is the normal retail price plus social and environmental costs throughout the entire value chain. With this experiment, Albert Heijn wants to raise awareness of social and environmental costs, help customers make more sustainable decisions and get to know the customers' opinion. In this experiment, Albert Heijn is working together with the independent organization True Price. Albert Heijn invests the proceeds of the additional amount in improvement projects in the coffee chain in cooperation with the Rainforest Alliance.
