Big changes are afoot at Helga’s, with the brand on a mission to be the kindest bread in Australia, and the most sustainable, to make a big impact on the environment.

Every grain of care counts and Helga’s has made exciting changes to ensure it is being kinder to the planet by reducing waste, recycling plastic, and switching to 100 per cent renewable energy across its baking operations. Helga’s is the first bread brand in Australia to reach these impressive sustainability milestones in tandem.

With plastic waste a big challenge, Helga’s’ plastic packaging for loaves, rolls and wraps is now 100 per cent recyclable through REDcycle at participating stores, contributing to soft plastics being turned into new products.

Head of Sustainability for Goodman Fielder, Mick Anderson commented on the approach, “Our focus on reducing the impact of packaging and plastic waste starts with design and innovation. This includes reducing the plastic content of our bags by 25 per cent.

“At Helga’s, our 100 per cent recyclable bags mean we’re reducing waste to landfill and contributing to new products being created from the recovered plastic. We want to educate and enable consumers on how they can participate in that process, helping to potentially recycle more than 62 million bags* each year,” he said.

Next month Helga’s is going one step further in eliminating plastic waste with the introduction of 100 per cent recyclable cardboard bread tags across its range. A small, yet significant step with the potential to remove additional pieces of single-use, small plastic materials from the waste stream.

For Helga’s the focus on plastic is just the start to create the kindest bread in Australia, with the announcement that from July 1, the company switched to 100 per cent renewable electricity across its owned bakeries in Australia.

“The switch to 100 per cent renewable electricity for our Goodman Fielder-operated bakeries is a critical step for Helga’s”, said Anderson.

“By using renewable electricity at our Goodman Fielder operated sites, we are moving closer to our target of net zero carbon emissions by 2040; reducing our own and our consumer’s climate impact.”

Helga’s achieved its 100 per cent renewable electricity target four years earlier than its original 2025 Sustainability ambition.