Offer more responsible products

Our objective : 100% of new products meet our eco-design criteria

In 2018, we set ourselves the target of 100% new ecodesigned products in 2020, and we have reached that goal! However, we want to continue to make progress. This is why in 2021 we set up an internal tool, the ValrhoScore, to measure the extent to which are our products are designed with environmental principles in mind.
Our new ambition is to give a score to all our products (not just the new ones) and ensure that each new product achieves
at least the average score by the end of 2022. Once all our products have been given scores, we can once again raise our requirements!

The gifting range : doing better with less

By thinking about packaging’s recyclability from the design stage onwards, Valrhona has taken up a challenge as it launches its new Gifting range: Doing better but using less. This product range has been designed in line with our ambitions to achieve 100% recyclability by 2025.

The new boxes in this range (which includes 24 products) are entirely recyclable and sourced in Europe, in keeping with consumers’ increasing demand for sustainability and eco-design. The paper and cardboard come from FSC-certified sources, guaranteeing that they originate from sustainably managed forests. Adopting this approach has enabled Valrhona to cut back its environmental impact, as proven by standardized tests (Evaluation using ISO 14040 Life Cycle Assessment method).

Cardboard use has been reduced by 4 tons a year for this range of boxes, and plastic by 10 tons. Valrhona has also redesigned the boxes to convey its environmental commitments and values, embodied “by its B Corp certification”.

Clean Label

In addition, in recent years we have carried out major Clean Label measures with our products: we have replaced our synthetic colorants with ingredients that add color, such as beetroot juice or flower extracts, and the few flavorings we use are now natural.

We examine the following criteria :

RECIPES

• Length of the list of ingredients
• No additives or controversial ingredients
• Nutritional impact
• Level of societal and environmental risk of the sector from which each ingredient comes

PACKAGING

• Ratio of packaging weight to product weight
• Source of packaging
• End of life of packaging

A new production line to cut back on packaging

In 2022, a new automated production line was set up to create customized boxes for individual orders. This has helped Valrhona to reduce its cardboard use by 20%. Additionally, the “custom” boxes sent to customers have about 30% less wasted space inside.