Every year, Stop Food Waste Day prompts us to reflect on one of the most avoidable global challenges of our time: the unnecessary disposal of edible food. This year, we’re highlighting the efforts of Flawsome! Drinks | B Corp™, a social enterprise that turns imperfect fruit into great-tasting, sustainable juice.
Flawsome! Drinks is a proud member of the BCHS Purposeful Providers Programme (PPP), which supports social enterprises that integrate social and environmental responsibility into their core missions. At Bunzl Cleaning & Hygiene Supplies, we created the Purposeful Providers Programme (PPP) to support businesses like Flawsome! Drinks in offering consumers a conscious, sustainable choice. By embedding sustainability into their practices, Flawsome! proves that doing good can taste good too, while fitting seamlessly into the values of BCHS.
Understanding Food Waste: A Global Problem with Local Impact
Food waste refers to edible food being discarded at any stage of the supply chain—whether on farms, in supermarkets, foodservice, or at home. When food is wasted, so are the resources used to grow, harvest, process, and transport it, such as water, energy, and labour. This not only places unnecessary strain on the environment but also contributes significantly to climate change.
Globally, food waste is responsible for an estimated 8–10% of greenhouse gas emissions. In the UK alone, over 6.5 million tonnes of food is wasted each year, with 61% of that deemed avoidable through better food management.
Flawsome! stresses that “food that’s grown and then wasted—whether it’s sent to landfill or not used—still has a carbon impact,” making the issue not just environmental but social and moral too. They believe “food producers have an intrinsic responsibility to help reduce the carbon impact of their industries,” warning that “we’re seeing how carbon output can disrupt food chains and production.”
Flawsome! Drinks: Where Wonky Fruit Becomes a Force for Good
Flawsome! rescues surplus and “wonky” fruit—produce that’s perfectly edible but falls short of supermarket cosmetic standards—and transforms it into nutritious, flavour-packed juice. But their impact goes far beyond the bottle.
As a social enterprise, Flawsome! reinvests profits into charitable and environmental initiatives, ensuring their success supports wider societal change. They describe themselves as “unique in how we source our fruits and ingredients,” explaining that “our founders created a new kind of supply chain, working directly with farmers and cooperatives who have surplus stock at the end of the harvest season.”
These relationships ensure that perfectly good produce doesn’t go to waste and that farmers are fairly compensated. “Farmers now come to us when they have surpluses,” Flawsome! shares, “ensuring they receive more money for produce that requires the same effort to grow.” This, in turn, supports more stable and resilient agricultural practices: “We’ve supported farmers in the past, helping them become more stable in their production and income.”
Beyond the Bottle: Wider Environmental and Social Impact
Flawsome!’s mission extends beyond food waste. They work closely with organisations like The Felix Project (redistributing surplus food) and FareShare (tackling hunger and waste), and expect to have donated over one million bottles to those facing food insecurity. “The Felix Project was one of the first we worked with” emphasising their aim to make a positive impact through continued donations.
They also invest in climate-focused initiatives such as wind farms and cookstove programmes in South America. These projects, Flawsome! explains, are “helping communities that normally cook over open fires, which are very inefficient.”
For Flawsome!, these actions are part of a bigger goal: reducing emissions across the entire food system. “If we can reduce carbon at all stages of food production,” they say, “it will lower the carbon intensity of the entire chain, including the waste.”
The Purposeful Providers Programme: Collaborating for Greater Change
Flawsome! is a member of the Purposeful Providers Programme, a BCHS initiative that connects and promotes suppliers committed to creating positive change. By collaborating through the PPP, these companies are able to increase their impact, reach wider audiences, and scale good ideas that deserve greater visibility.
“There’s a huge role to be played by companies supporting each other in these kinds of sustainability initiatives,” Flawsome! explains. “It’s important to raise awareness and help these companies grow.” They add that “once you’re out there, you can really touch more people’s lives and make a bigger impact.”
Through this programme, customers can more easily identify purpose-led suppliers and make values-driven purchasing decisions, supporting a more responsible and transparent supply chain.
An Easy, Sustainable Swap for Customers and Consumers
While their mission is ambitious, Flawsome!’s offering is simple. Their drinks make it easy for consumers and businesses alike to make a sustainable switch, without compromising on taste or convenience.
As Flawsome! puts it, “if you see the label that says it saves wonky fruit, that’s an easy choice. You know you’re making a good impact by drinking this.” Their products are also an ideal fit for foodservice, where demand for healthier, greener options continues to grow: “We’re doing a lot in foodservice, where companies are trying to offer more sustainable or healthier products. We tick both of those boxes while being a very tasty drink.”
Learn More: The Purposeful Providers Programme
When businesses, customers, and consumers align their actions with their values, the impact can be remarkable. Together, we can reduce food waste and reshape the future of our food system—one bottle at a time.
The Purposeful Providers Programme is built on the belief that business can—and should—be a force for good. By supporting suppliers like Flawsome! Drinks, the programme encourages more sustainable choices and champions organisations that reinvest their success for the greater good.
Find out more Purposeful Providers Programme | BCHS
