Gelato releases its 2022 Sustainability Report

“Sustainability is not just a buzzword for us, it is a core value that drives every decision we make. In fact, the reason we started Gelato was because we firmly believed in the power of local on-demand production,” says Founder and CEO Henrik Müller-Hansen. 

With sustainability at its core, Gelato empowers global creators worldwide by transforming global trade and ecommerce through local and on-demand production—as opposed to in mass. Gelato connects to more than 130 production hubs in 32 countries, helping slash delivery times, waste, and carbon emissions to drastically improve the well being of both people and planet.

Gelato’s 2022 Sustainability Report report comes at a time when global shipping and its emissions have experienced an uninterrupted rise. Over the last two decades, around 25% of all CO2 emissions have come from international trade and 12% from international transportation, according to the World Trade Organization. 

Key highlights from the new sustainability report include:

• 34 new production hubs were added to Gelato’s network, bringing the total number of partners to 130, and increasing its local production rate to 87%. Gelato is the largest production on demand network in the world.

• Gelato partners using GelatoOS, Gelato’s machine-agnostic operating software,  experience an error rate 53% lower than the minority not using GelatoOS for the same products.

• A 10-20% reduction in packaging material and box size for mugs and wall art in North-America, allowing for more products per vehicle and lower emissions.

• More than 25,000 new ecommerce stores placed orders through Gelato in 2022, while 4 million orders were fulfilled and delivered to end-customers in 184 countries and territories.

• Gelato cites 0 major security incidents in 2022 and boasts 100% participation in, supplier code of conduct, supplier compliance risk assessment, and team member data privacy and GDPR course.

Gelato works to transform production and distribution from centralized and mass to localized and customized on demand – slashing waste, shipping distances, and carbon emissions. By connecting to Gelato, creators can reach a global market with their products, without having to make any upfront investments. As they grow their businesses, they also help Gelato’s network of production partners grow theirs – contributing to job and value creation in local communities worldwide.

“We believe that sustainability is not just a responsibility, it is an opportunity to innovate and create value for our customers and society as a whole,” said Müller-Hansen. “To build businesses that can sustain, we must first create a sustainable planet. Not only because it is the right thing to do, but because the future generation of consumers demands it from us.”

The report measures ESG based on its three categories: environmental, social and governance. 

While reducing emissions from production and distribution is at the forefront of sustainability, the sustainability picture is tri-fold. It’s about the planet, its people, and the policies that help ensure businesses are run in a responsible way. 

“To Gelato, the S in ESG is central to our work. By moving production and distribution to  the local markets, we help level the ecommerce playing field, and support the growth of creators, local business owners and communities worldwide,” says Müller-Hansen.

In the years to come, Gelato will further accelerate the shift from centralized mass production to local on-demand production, allowing Gelato customers to produce what they need, where they need it, and when they need it.

Further, the shift to local on-demand production will be necessary for organizations and global companies as they strive for future growth, and to meet the demands from lawmakers and regulators, consumers, and the next generation. 

Gelato is energized to be a part of the transformation and grateful to its customers, partners, and team members, who are joining in on the mission to make global production and distribution more sustainable.