Blue Apron to Fight Climate Crisis Through New Loyalty Program

Blue Apron is ready to help its customers offset a part of their carbon footprint. Heading into its 10th anniversary next year, the meal kit company is now addling a loyalty program to fight climate change.

The New York-based meal kit company, which saw a dip in second-quarter sales and continued losses in the third quarter of 2021, is introducing a Blue Apron Aspiration Zero Card. The co-branded credit card created in collaboration with Aspiration, offers its cardholders rewards to help fight the climate crisis, the company said in a release.

A first for the meal-kit industry, the Blue Apron Aspiration Zero Card will reward cardmembers on qualifying purchases made at BlueApron.com and on the Blue Apron mobile app.

By using the Blue Apron Aspiration Zero Card, customers will be able to offset a part of their carbon footprint. With every qualifying purchase made on a Blue Apron Aspiration Zero Card, Aspiration will plant a tree and let users plant an additional tree by rounding up purchases to the nearest dollar.

As part of Blue Apron’s new loyalty program. the company said it is in discussions with additional partners to provide other benefits and expects to launch other new programs in 2022. The company's current loyalty program for its customers includes the option to send free boxes to friends and family.

“As we kick off our 10th anniversary in 2022, we want to recognize our best and most loyal customers—some who have been with us since we shipped our first box,” said Dani Simpson, Blue Apron’s chief marketing officer, in a statement. “Customers who use the Blue Apron Aspiration Zero Card on qualified purchases will receive cash back benefits along with an opportunity to help make a difference in the world around them.”

With the attempt to make fighting climate change second nature to its cardmembers, Aspiration CEO Andrei Cherny, said in a statement the company “couldn't be happier to partner with Blue Apron around not only rewarding their customers financially but also helping those customers have a positive and effortless impact on the environment.”

Looking to expand its outreach, Blue Apron—which built its business on the notion of consumers home-cooking meals from ingredient kits—this past fall entered the competitive prepared meals business.