Sustainability & Impact Report
It's challenging to find food that is delicious, that you’re proud to serve to your family, that doesn’t take hours to shop, prep, and cook–and that is also healthy, and sustainably produced.
WECO makes easy for you to get a delicious, healthful meal on the table while making a positive impact on the environment and society.
Here's How:
WECO Packaging Philosophy & Principles
Sustainability in packaging is one of our most urgent sustainability priorities. We are always working to develop better, more sustainable packaging and we love to share our latest innovations.
Here's what we've accomplished so far:
Packaging Materials
Lightweight Wooden Boats: Used for full dinners. Made of sustainably harvested, fully biodegradable, chemical-free, non-toxic poplar wood - 100% compostable in backyard composters. Oven (480°F), steamer, microwave, and freezer safe. Re-use as a container for mail, seed packets, art supplies.
Bio Boxes: Used for full dinners, sides, desserts. Made of recycled cardboard and a PLA coating, which is a biodegradable and compostable material derived from renewable resources like corn starch or sugarcane. Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI®) Certified Compostable. Compostable commercially.
Deli Containers: Used for dinners, sides, desserts. Made of certified BPA free polypropylene. Stackable, dishwasher, microwave, and freezer safe. Reuse to store leftovers, soups, stews in the fridge or freezer.
Ramekins: Used for dressings, sides. Made of certified BPA free polypropylene. Reuse for dressings for lunch @ work. Store small items like glitter or beads.
Bowls: Used for salads. Made from bamboo and unbleached plant fiber. 100% commercially compostable. Microwave safe.
Packing Materials
Depending on where you live, you may receive your food in a recyclable brown paper bag, a reusable zippered cold safe tote, or a recyclable cardboard box.
Cold Safe Zippered Totes: Freezer safe, reusable.
Ice Packs: Used to keep your food cold until you refrigerate it. Reusable and recyclable. To recycle, snip an end off, drain the thawed material into the sink (this is 100% safe for your plumbing and for the water system) and recycle the outer shell.
Cardboard Box: 100% post consumer recycled cardboard. Recyclable.
Insulated Sleeve: This one is really cool. This looks like styrofoam, but it’s actually Green Cell Foam, a natural material made from a non-GMO cornstarch. Just remove/recycle the outer film and the green cell is 100% recyclable and compostable in any home compost bin! You can also safely dissolve it in water in your sink in under 60 seconds. You probably shouldn’t eat it though. Click here to see how many sleeves we tested before we found this one.
What’s next for sustainability in WECO packaging?
In some markets we are piloting circular packaging, where we collect your zippered cold bags through a partner, sanitize, and reuse them. We’ll keep you posted on what we learn and whether we can roll this out in more markets.
WECO's Near Zero Food Waste Operation
Food waste is a major problem. In fact, a recent study estimates that one third of all food in the United States is wasted. And that the average American household discards 168 pounds of food a year. We're doing our part to limit the amount of food that ends up in landfills each year!
WECO Reduces Food Waste in Your Kitchen
Ever bought too much at the grocery store, only to have it sit in your refrigerator until you throw it out? We get it. When you order meal delivery from WECO, you’ll reduce or eliminate the food waste in your own kitchen, because everything is ready-to-eat and you get the right amount for your household each time.
Sustainability in WECO's Kitchens
We’ve designed our unique business model from the ground up to avoid food waste and to employ sustainable practices. Here’s how:
Just-in-time ingredient sourcing: Our close partnerships with our suppliers and purveyors means we get daily deliveries of produce and other ingredients. Sometimes the produce was harvested the same day as delivery. This not only means your food is extremely fresh (much more than if you bought the ingredients from most grocery stores). It also means we’re only ordering as much as we need, so we can operate in a near-zero food waste environment. Read about our ingredient Sourcing Philosophy & Principles here.
Seasonality: Our menus are designed specifically to take advantage of local and seasonal harvests from farms in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions. This means ingredients don’t travel as far to get to us, reducing road emissions and transportation time. It also means your meals are fresher, because you’re eating local, in-season produce that’s at its peak deliciousness.
Upcycling Ingredients. Each year we upcycle tens of thousands of pounds of ingredients that would otherwise go to waste, making them into vegetable stocks, soups, braises, and sauces. This is nutrient dense goodness and keeps this material out of landfills (food waste is a major source of methane emissions from landills).
Composting and Donating. We compost 100% of any remaining produce waste that can’t be upcycled.
Carbon Offsets: WECO offsets our footprint from delivering meals to our customers by purchasing verifiable carbon offsets. The carbon credits we purchase come from forestry or farm carbon sequestration projects.
Social Impact
At WECO, we take immense pride in our deep-rooted connections with local communities. Over the past four years, we have had the privilege of donating meals and funds to hundreds of community organizations and are committed to giving back to the communities we serve.
Donating Meals: In the four years since our founding, we’ve donated to hundreds of community organizations, including many that target food insecurity, as well as to the local police and fire departments. Daniels Table, Acton Food Pantry, The Greater Boston Food Bank, Emerson Hospital, and Lowell General Hospital Cancer Center are a few of the many organizations we support.
Fundraisers: A great way to raise funds for your school or organization! Many of our customers are families with young children, who are part of their local school systems. We partner with PTOs, schools, and organizations in the neighborhoods in which we operate, to help them raise funds for their programs. We donate 10% of the revenue generated from the fundraisers back to the organization. In 2023 alone we donated $471,000 to local schools and organizations!
Interested in a WECO fundraiser for your school or organization, or need a donation? Email weco@wecohospitality.com.
Sustainability & Impact Report
It can be challenging to find food that is delicious, that you’re proud to serve to your family, that doesn’t take hours to shop, prep, and cook–and that is also healthy, and sustainably produced.
WECO is here to make it incredibly easy for you to get a delicious, healthful meal on the table while also making a positive impact on the environment and society.
WECO Packaging Philosophy & Principles
Sustainability in packaging has long been one of our most urgent sustainability priorities. We are continually striving to develop better, more sustainable packaging and are always eager to share our latest innovations. Here's what we've accomplished so far:
Packaging Materials
Lightweight Wooden Boats: Used for full dinners. Made of sustainably harvested, fully biodegradable, chemical-free, non-toxic poplar wood - 100% compostable in backyard composters. Oven (480°F), steamer, microwave, and freezer safe. Re-use as a container for mail, seed packets, art supplies.
Bio Boxes: Used for full dinners, sides, desserts. Made of recycled cardboard and a PLA coating, which is a biodegradable and compostable material derived from renewable resources like corn starch or sugarcane. Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI®) Certified Compostable. Compostable commercially.
Deli Containers: Used for dinners, sides, desserts. Made of certified BPA free polypropylene. Stackable, dishwasher, microwave, and freezer safe. Reuse to store leftovers, soups, stews in the fridge or freezer.
Ramekins: Used for dressings, sides. Made of certified BPA free polypropylene. Reuse for dressings for lunch @ work. Store small items like glitter or beads.
Bottles: Used for drinks, mixers, and juice shots. Made of XX
Bowls: Used for salads. Made from bamboo and unbleached plant fiber. 100% commercially compostable. Microwave safe.
Packing Materials
Depending on where you live, you will receive your food in a reusable zippered cold safe tote, or a recyclable cardboard box.
Cold Safe Zippered Totes: Freezer safe, reusable.
Ice Packs: Used to keep your food cold until you refrigerate it. Reusable and recyclable. To recycle, snip an end off, drain the thawed material into the sink (this is 100% safe for your plumbing and for the water system) and recycle the outer shell.
Cardboard Box: 100% post consumer recycled cardboard. Recyclable.
Insulated Sleeve: This one is really cool. This looks like styrofoam, but it’s actually Green Cell Foam, a natural material made from a non-GMO cornstarch. Just remove/recycle the outer film and the green cell is 100% recyclable and compostable in any home compost bin! You can also safely dissolve it in water in your sink in under 60 seconds. You probably shouldn’t eat it though. Click here to see how many sleeves we tested before we found this one.
What’s next for sustainability in WECO packaging?
In some markets we are piloting circular packaging, where we collect your zippered cold bags through a partner, sanitize, and reuse them. We’ll keep you posted on what we learn and whether we can roll this out in more markets.
Near Zero Food Waste
Food waste is a major problem. In fact, a recent study estimates that one third of all food in the United States is wasted. And that on average each American household discards 168 pounds of food a year. We're trying to do our part to limit our
Supporting local farmers and communities
Serving freshly made and handcrafted food
Considering seasonality and availability
Choosing domestic products over imported ones (while still importing some delicious specialties)
Our approach ensures that every dish we deliver reflects our commitment to supporting local economies, sustainability, and culinary excellence.