How Legacy Brands Continue to Drive Cost and Emissions Reductions 

ABOUT BRAGG 

Bragg is a wellness-focused company with a long-standing commitment to producing health-enhancing foods and supplements. Founded in 1912, it’s known for its flagship Apple Cider Vinegar, as well as a wide array of products including liquid aminos, nutritional yeast, dressings, and seasonings. Each product is crafted with wellness-centered ingredients designed to support overall well-being. Bragg integrates scientific insights into nutrition with a holistic approach to health, encouraging natural wellness and vitality through sustainable practices and a dedication to quality, eco-conscious sourcing, and community impact.

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The company’s sustainability efforts underscore its mission to promote health in harmony with the planet. Bragg is a certified B Corp, which means it meets rigorous standards for environmental and social responsibility. By utilizing organic farming, eco-friendly packaging, and reducing plastic waste, Bragg aligns its product offerings with practices that respect environmental boundaries. The brand’s commitment extends beyond products, engaging in partnerships that support renewable resources and responsible production practices, creating a holistic approach to sustainability that benefits consumers and the environment alike. 

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Additionally, Bragg emphasizes ethical practices in its partnerships and production. By focusing on sustainable farming, Bragg strives to reduce its carbon footprint while maintaining high-quality, nourishing products. Their dedication to environmental health extends to packaging initiatives, such as reducing plastic use and supporting recycling efforts. 

THE CHALLENGE 

The company came to Planet FWD to deepen its commitment to sustainability. The team wanted to better understand its product level emissions, particularly for its hero products like Apple Cider Vinegar, to then understand where improvements could be made. 

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What’s unique and different about Bragg’s product emissions is that most of the emissions don’t come from its ingredients. Apples are naturally a low emissions ingredient, especially when sourced organically. The team knew they’d need to look at possible efficiencies and improvements that could be made throughout the entire process if they wanted to make significant emissions reductions. 

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When looking at the levers within their control, the field of action got narrower, but also more actionable. It also gave the team an opportunity to look at cost-efficiencies alongside potential emissions reductions, knowing the types of changes that were available to them, such as transportation and packaging.

THE SOLUTION

After conducting product level lifecycle assessments on Bragg’s top 10 best sellers, an opportunity arose to drop costs along the supply chain. By switching from truck to rail transportation for its raw Apple Cider Vinegar, Bragg could reduce costs by 35%. 

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Knowing that rail was one of the emissions reductions opportunities surfaced by Planet FWD, the team got curious about the environmental impact of making this swap. The results were impressive. 

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For its 32-ounce bottle of Apple Cider Vinegar, Planet FWD models the switch, estimating that Bragg could reduce emissions by 14%, just by switching from truck to rail. The team was able to double down on a cost savings initiative by also reducing emissions. 

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What’s most exciting is that, when Planet FWD re-ran the numbers based on the hard data after the switch was implemented, the estimated emissions and cost savings held up just as modeled. 

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<span class="small-blockquote">"Bragg has always been invested in maintaining the health of people and the planet we live on. Partnering with Planet FWD has allowed us to support sustainability efforts with data. This has made Bragg’s ESG efforts targeted and actionable, resulting in a better ESG strategy overall.” </span>

<span class="blockquote-wrap">
<strong>Ashton Roberts</strong>
Manager Supply Chain & Analytics, Bragg
</span>

RESULTS & BENEFITS

Creating a cost savings opportunity that led to emissions reductions  has grown the internal excitement about furthering climate action. 

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Proving that business decisions can and should be made for the good of the bottom line and the planet, the Bragg team is looking to what’s next. The team continues to explore how it can replicate this cost and emissions savings model at other points of the supply chain, such as packaging and  other transportation lanes. 

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Looking ahead, sustainability will remain a key pillar for Bragg, providing ways to benefit its business and the planet. 

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