Summary of progress in 2023/2024
This is Chilly's first Responsibility Report. Its release marks one year since we launched our Responsibility Strategy, and over the past 12 months we have been working to drive forward the sustainability performance across our business.
2023/24 not only saw the launch of our Responsibility Strategy, but also saw Chilly’s achieve B Corp certification, launch our first range of products using 90% recycled stainless steel, calculate the carbon footprint of our products, enhance our recycling scheme to take back reusable bottles or cups from any brand through "Trade In" and "Take Back", become members of Sedex - enabling us to manage the environmental and social performance of our suppliers in line with industry standards, and overhall our packaging strategy to reduce our impact.
At our core, our mission has always been to accelerate the adoption and everyday use of reusable products. Through the work detailed in this report, we are building on this mission, with the goal of making our products in the most responsible way we can. This means taking responsibility for any negative impacts we may be having, while enhancing the positive impacts.
In this report, we want to be transparent with you. We will be celebrating our success, but also being open and honest about where we have struggled, where we have not achieved as much as we hoped, and where we see we can drive the biggest impact in the future.
We’re excited to share with you what we’ve been working on and our plans for the future.
Chilly’s is a Certified B Corp
In June 2023, Chilly’s became a Certified B Corporation (B Corp). We are absolutely thrilled to have been recognised for our efforts and to become part of a global movement that’s affecting real change.
The next steps in Chilly’s B Corp journey
We are committed to continuously improving – something that the B Corp movement heartily encourages.
To maintain our certification, Chilly’s must undertake an assessment every three years, demonstrating that we are still meeting B Lab’s standards. These standards evolve over time, continually being developed and becoming increasingly rigorous. This not only provides us with targets to aim for but ensures we are never resting on our past achievements, and are always striving to become even more responsible.
Materials
Materials encompasses everything our products are made from, including the packaging they are shipped in. Using quality materials that stand the test of time is one of Chilly’s core values. In 2023/24, we introduced 90% recycled stainless steel to our products, launched our interlay procurement strategy and tool, established a target of reducing our direct product packaging by at least 70% for bottles, coffee cups and food pots for B2B and B2C products” and took steps to reduce our packaging use.
Footprint
Chilly’s footprint covers three key areas: climate action, water & chemical use, and waste. Our approach to these topics is first to measure and understand our impact, and then to create a plan for impact reduction based on the data we find. In 2023/24 we measured our product’s carbon footprints through a verified Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and we started to measure our corporate carbon footprint. We also started to measure the water used and waste generated throughout our supply chain. Our key finding was that the data that we were able to access was not reliable. So we’re now working with our suppliers to enhance their measurement processes.
Circularity
At Chilly’s, our aim is to make our products circular. Circularity can be approached in a number of ways. As a reusable brand, since our inception we’ve been focusing on longevity and reusability. During the last couple of years, we’ve been working to push this further, investigating and implementing projects focusing on different elements of circularity. In 2023/24 we expanded our recycling scheme to include any reusable bottle or cup from other brand, as well as our own core products. We also established plans and took steps to enhance the disassembly, recyclability, repairability and durability of our products.
Suppliers
We work closely with our key suppliers, building long lasting relationships. Being a member of Sedex is a key part of our approach. Sedex is a platform which enables us to manage our suppliers, hold them to account against industry agreed social and environmental standards and increase transparency throughout our supply chain. To support this, we ask our suppliers to also adhere to Chilly’s social and environmental policies including a Code of Conduct, Environmental Policy and Ethical Trade Policy. In 2024, Chilly’s launched a procurement tool which supports our approach, and ensures consistent procurement standards are being used across the business.
People
At Chilly’s we strive to create a culture of inclusion and belonging, underpinned through ongoing education and internal campaigns. In 2023/24 we captured DE&I related data of both our employees and candidates for roles at Chilly’s. We also facilitated numerous internal activations, trainings, workshops and forums, educating and raising awareness of key topics associated with DE&I, wellbeing and employment practice. Beyond our own internal people, we are also looking at the wider community that we operate in.
Our values
The Our Value pillar focuses on governance and responsible business practices. A key part of this is who we work with and how, as well as how we communicate about our sustainability. In 2023/24, Chilly’s became a Certified B Corporation (B Corp), meaning that we have been verified as meeting B Lab’s high standards for social and environmental impact through transparency and accountability. We also published in June 2024 our first annual Responsibility Report. This plays a key role in how we are holding ourselves accountable to practise business in a responsible manner.