Is KoRo actually sustainable?
We asked you what interests you most about sustainability at KoRo, and our sustainability team has the answers ready for you here. The question asked most often was probably: is KoRo actually sustainable? We'd like to answer that right away:
Sustainability and the environmental, social and economic aspects that come with it are important factors that we take into account in our decisions. Because KoRo bears responsibility – that much is clear to us. Our mission: to make high-quality products for conscious eating easily accessible to consumers. In doing so, we want to combine taste and top quality at a fair price with consideration of environmental and social aspects along the value chain. To that end, we rely, among other things, on a diverse offering: 98% of our range is vegetarian, 92% is vegan and 54% is organic (as of 04/2026).¹ Nevertheless, we want to be completely transparent here:
Despite our efforts, we aren't yet where we want to be on some points, and we keep running into new challenges – we go into some of them in more detail on this page. We are aware that in some areas we may never fully meet expectations. That's why we don't want to label ourselves “sustainable” across the board or actively advertise with the buzzword. In our day-to-day actions, we consider economic, environmental and social factors, and we communicate our approach and our progress in these areas transparently. We take criticism and suggestions very seriously and engage in dialogue, because that is the only way we can further develop how we deal with these topics.
At KoRo we want to...
Use bulk packs
Our bulk packs are part of our identity. They not only make shopping easier and keep you happy for a long time, but also take packaging material use into account: in a sample from various product categories, the bulk packs we examined needed on average almost 40% less packaging material per 1 kg of product than the comparison products from retail that we examined.²
Communicate transparently
We want to inform you transparently about the company, our products, prices and packaging, and thereby foster communication on an equal footing. It's important to us to give realistic insights into the day-to-day life and decisions of a food company, and to show the challenges too. More on this in our vision and mission.
Offer alternatives
We want to make high-quality food for your everyday life accessible to you at a fair price. That's why we rely on a broad product selection for a varied, predominantly plant-based diet – from wholesome ingredients for your kitchen to innovative snack variants.
Our measures at a glance
First of all, it has to be said: many environmental and social measures at KoRo are long-term and therefore “work in progress”. Here, we only want to list measures whose positive effects we can already demonstrate. Many more are nevertheless planned; you'll find more on this further down under “Current projects”.
Our range
In general, KoRo promotes the easy integration of potentially more environmentally friendly products into shopping decisions through a range that is 98% vegetarian and 92% vegan, with 54% of products being organic (as of April 2026)1. We also carry out risk analyses for selected raw materials used in our products and their countries of origin. Based on the results of this analysis, we have developed sustainable sourcing targets, through which we aim to systematically mitigate risks; for example, this means that we intend to source certain raw materials only if they carry a specific certification. In addition, we have a code of conduct for business partners, which is aimed at suppliers and partners in general. In it, we define our standards and expectations regarding the environment, business ethics and social issues.
Our office
Our shipping packaging
(boxes, filling material and parcel tape)
are already entirely paper-based. Most of the cardboard boxes and filling material are made from recycled fibres and can in turn be recycled.
With our large packs
we save packaging waste – close to 40%2 per 1kg of product compared to conventional packaging.
Our sale category
helps us save food that is about to expire or does not meet the visual norm from being thrown away. When this happends, we offer it to you in our sale category at a reduced price. Since 2023 we have also been donating to food sharing.
Our transparent communication
is arguably one of the most important initiatives alongside our sustainability team, which focuses exclusively on environmental, ethical and social issues. We would like to share this team’s progress, challenges and results with you, to give you a deeper insight into the topic of sustainability. That is why we have set ourselves the goal, for example, of regularly publishing an impact report, which provides insights into environmental, corporate ethics and social issues at KoRo. You can find the latest report here.
Making product journey and climate impact visible
We’ve added a “Product Journey & Impact” tab to more than 160 of our items so far (for example: white almond butter 500 g). This includes calculated greenhouse gas emissions generated during production, packaging and transportation of our products. For some items – such as our freeze-dried strawberry slices – you’ll also find additional details on origin and supply chain. We share this information with you so you can make informed purchasing decisions and keep an eye on your individual carbon footprint. At the same time, we use these insights ourselves to optimise our supply chains and ideally reduce our own CO₂ emissions in the future.
Current projects: What's on the agenda for 2026
We know that sustainability doesn't happen overnight – it requires long-term thinking and consistent action. That's why we set ourselves new goals every year that bring us closer to our aspirations, step by step. 2026 will be another year full of projects designed to bring about concrete change:
- Introduction of new single-material doypacks with improved recyclability. You can find a blog post on the opportunities and challenges of this transition here
- Establishing a shorter supply chain for our cocoa powder and cocoa nibs by sourcing directly from producers at source. You can find a blog article about our visit to our partners in Peru here
- Implementation of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR)3, including improved traceability of our affected products
- Updating the supply chain for our freeze-dried strawberry slices through partial direct sourcing from producers and initial on-site visits in China
- Finalisation and publication of our first sustainability report in accordance with established reporting standards and with voluntary verification in line with the European VSME standard4
- Development of a science-based climate target in accordance with the criteria of the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) (will continue until 2027)
- Gradual transition to (Fairtrade) certified cocoa (to be completed by 2027)
- Implementation of the new B Lab requirements in preparation for B Corp recertification in 2027
Q&A: Sustainability at KoRo
Suppliers and producers:
Packaging:
Products:
Other questions:
Sources
1. These percentages refer to the proportion of vegetarian, vegan or certified organic products out of the total number of food products. Our so-called “non-food” products, such as storage jars or vouchers, are not included in this calculation.
2. As of 2026, calculation based on a sample of products from various categories – nuts, breakfast items, dried fruit, proteins, meat alternatives, pulses, spices, rice/pasta, snacks, baking ingredients and drinks – compared with three products from the retail sector in each category.
3. An EU regulation that obliges companies to ensure that certain products (including soya, cocoa and coffee) do not contribute to deforestation or forest degradation.
4. The VSME-Standards have been specifically developed for small and medium-sized enterprises and offer them a voluntary, practical framework for systematically and comprehensively addressing and reporting on all key sustainability issues.
5. https://www.oekolandbau.de/bio-zertifizierung/bio-kontrolle/
6. https://www.fairtrade.net/de-de/Was-ist-Fairtrade/der-fairtrade-ansatz/Fairtrade-Siegel.html
