BURLINGTON, Vt., Oct. 17, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Wildgood, the first and only non-dairy frozen dessert made with extra virgin olive oil, announces it has completed a Life Cycle Assessment to measure its carbon footprint with the independent experts at Planet FWD, the leading carbon management platform for consumer companies to tackle climate change.
Planet FWD assessed Wildgood’s products as well as the emissions intensity of dairy and other non-dairy ice creams. Analysis highlights include:
- Wildgood’s carbon footprint is substantially lower than the other formulas included in the study.
- Wildgood’s ingredient greenhouse gas emissions are up to 80% lower than premium dairy-based ice cream, 38% lower than non-dairy ice cream made with coconut milk and 25% lower than non-dairy ice cream made with oat milk.
- Wildgood’s cradle-to-gate emissions are 0.568 kg CO2e per pint and its cradle-to-grave emissions are 0.915 kg CO2e per pint, on average across all flavors.
This study will help consumers make informed decisions by providing a quantitative assessment of climate impact. Wildgood will also use the learnings from the study to make decisions on how to reduce its carbon footprint even more over time.
“We created Wildgood so ice cream lovers could enjoy a healthier and more sustainable ice cream without sacrificing rich, creamy flavor. Replenishing the planet has been in our mission statement from day one, and these results have affirmed for us that we’re on the right track,” said Shay DiCocco, CEO of Wildgood. “With Planet FWD’s data-driven insights, we’re already identifying opportunities to further reduce our GHG footprint.”
The unique ingredient profile of Wildgood’s pints, including its signature ingredient – extra virgin olive oil – helps Wildgood achieve its relatively low ingredient footprint. Wildgood uses no dairy milk or other “plant-milks” such as coconut or oat milk. Wildgood’s olive oil is sourced from family farms in Greece. Olive trees are known for being resilient with the ability to live for hundreds of years in arid environments while continually capturing carbon.
Americans consume an average of 20 pounds of dairy ice cream a year1. If every American shifted from premium dairy ice cream to Wildgood, it would save up to 7.2 billion kg CO2e per year,2 the equivalent of planting 120,000,000 trees3 or removing 1,500,000 gas-powered cars off the road for a year.3
“The Wildgood team is setting a new standard for transparency in their industry, and this assessment will help ice cream lovers make more informed decisions,” said Julia Collins, founder and CEO of Planet FWD. “I admire Wildgood’s dedication to improving its sustainability while maintaining product quality. We look forward to continuing to empower the team with data that drives innovation.”
Wildgood is part of a rising trend of mission-driven food brands committed to understanding the climate impact of their products and operations. Wildgood joins companies like Moonshot Snacks and Numi Organic Tea that have worked with Planet FWD to assess their carbon impact.