Driving Sustainability: How Jeff Yorzyk is Leading the Effort

Jeff delivers Meals with Meaning kits to those in need.

This month, for Earth Month, we’re shining a spotlight on our sustainability and environmentally-friendly efforts here at HelloFresh. Keep reading to meet Jeff Yorzyk, our Senior Director of Sustainability, and learn about the environmentally conscious work his team is doing.

Having a sense of purpose can leave you feeling fulfilled, both in and out of work. Our Senior Director of Sustainability, Jeff Yorzyk, always had a passion for nature – he knew he was meant to dedicate his life to the environment and preserving natural habitats. At HelloFresh, he helps us find ways to be as environmentally conscious and socially impactful as possible. Here’s Jeff’s story.

Planting the Seed

“I grew up in New England, spending weekends fishing, canoeing, and learning survival skills from my Eagle-Scout father, while also discovering a love of cooking from my mother,” said Jeff. Being outdoors always inspired him, and it was on a road trip after graduating from Lafayette College with a degree in Chemical Engineering that he experienced his moment of direction. While driving cross-country, he and his friend arrived in the Colorado mountains for their first time. Seeing the beauty of the nature around them evoked a deep-rooted passion for pursuing a career in environmental studies and (eventually) sustainability. It wasn’t long before Jeff packed his things and moved to Colorado permanently.

After a few years in the environmental field, Jeff earned his Master’s Degree in Environmental Science and Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines, and later an MBA from the University of Colorado Boulder. His inspiration to attend business school came during a long hike in those same Colorado mountains, where he wondered how to get in front of waste before it happens. Working both with startups and large-scale companies, Jeff became adept in environmental compliance and then sustainability consulting. He first specialized in management system development, and later helped businesses quantify and address sustainability impacts. He eventually worked for government agencies like the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to estimate the potential impacts of climate change on their facility portfolio.

Tarrant Area Food Bank celebrates 1M meals donated with HelloFresh.

Making a Difference

After more than 20 years of consulting, Jeff joined the organic meal kit company, Green Chef, and became their first Sustainability Director. In 2018, HelloFresh acquired Green Chef, and Jeff became the Sustainability Director for HelloFresh US and each of its affiliates. More recently, Jeff has assumed the leadership position for this function across all of North America. Along with managing the Social Impact program, Jeff and his team focus on these key environmental pillars:

Energy and Carbon Emissions
Food Waste and Other Waste Streams
Packaging Sustainability
Responsible Procurement

“So far, HelloFresh has reduced operations-related emissions by over 50% from 2019 and is operating on 100% renewable electricity in the U.S.,” said Jeff. “HelloFresh has also reduced food waste sent to landfills by over 50% from 2019 through food rescue and composting/biogas partners.”

Jeff takes a cue from his experiences in the mountains to address impacts early on, ideally before they happen. He does so at HelloFresh through the application of renewable energy, surplus food donation, organic waste recycling, and our Ethical Trading Policy.

When it comes to what’s next, Jeff and his team are focusing on data. “Like the rest of HelloFresh, data collection is imperative for us in sustainability too,” he says. “This helps us track our progress over time, identify areas of opportunity and measure success. Specifically, we’re looking at end-to-end value chain carbon reduction, details on packaging, and several social goals, too. And maybe most importantly, we strive to continue moving the needle through our global carbon and food waste reduction efforts.”

The company is also focusing on how to help our customers make greener food choices. We started by figuring out how much carbon our meals and ingredients produce. Then, in 2022, we tested “climate tags” on our menu to show which recipes have the smallest carbon footprint. We also tried out different ways to show customers how their food choices affect the climate through graphical indicators instead of tags. By 2023, tags were available in all our international markets. Not only do these tags help customers pick eco-friendly meals, but they also guide us in making our supply chain more eco-friendly. “Basically, by knowing which ingredients have higher emissions, we can suggest ways to lower the carbon footprint in different commodities,” says Jeff. “We are still refining the approach, and look forward to taking it global!”

We’re grateful that Jeff’s love for food, people, and the environment drives our sustainability efforts at HelloFresh. If you liked Jeff’s story and want to hear more, listen to his interview on the Impact Podcast with John Shegerian.