“Let’s bake the world a little bit better ” – at Gustavo Gusto, the vision is far more than just a brand promise. It stands for an attitude that can be felt in all areas of the company. Founded in 2016, the company has changed the German frozen pizza market with a simple claim: Frozen pizza should taste like it does in a restaurant – honest, high-quality and made with responsibility.
Gustavo Gusto stands for quality, artisan production and high-quality ingredients without preservatives. Raw materials are preferably sourced from the region or Europe; only selected special ingredients such as hand-fished tuna, spices or chili peppers come from other regions of origin. When it comes to procurement, attention is consciously paid to short delivery routes – for example, the flour that is processed at the plant in Geretsried (Bavaria) comes from a nearby mill, only around 100 kilometers away. Apart from this, the cardboard packaging used consists of 95% recycled material and is recyclable.
In order to further professionalize its commitment to sustainability and make it measurable, Gustavo Gusto 2024 decided on a strategic collaboration with Code Gaia.
Cooperation with Code Gaia
Together with Code Gaia, Gustavo Gusto carried out a double materiality analysis and calculated the corporate carbon footprint (CCF). The aim was to manage sustainability based on data, create transparency and identify the greatest levers for climate protection and efficiency.
The collaboration was characterized by a pragmatic approach and clarity: Instead of abstract sustainability goals, the focus was mainly on the operational reality. With the help of the Code Gaia platform, Gustavo Gusto was able to systematically prioritize the sustainability issues and derive measures.
The result: the basis for the further development of the sustainability and decarbonization strategy. A look at the corporate carbon footprint for the 2024 financial year shows: 3% of emissions are generated in Scope 1 and 2, while 97% of emissions are caused in Scope 3. Nevertheless, the area of energy consumption and self-supply was identified as economically and ecologically relevant. Here, the company sees potential to reduce COâ‚‚ emissions in Scope 1 and 2 and at the same time save costs in the long term.
Photovoltaics as a lever for a win-win-win situation in the area of sustainability
As part of the aim to make its own energy consumption more sustainable, a photovoltaic roof system with 758 modules was installed at the production site in Artern (Thuringia) last year – total output: 315 kWp. The electricity generated is consumed entirely by Gustavo Gusto itself, which means that it can currently cover 8% of its electricity requirements at the Artern plant.
Following successful implementation, the go-ahead was given for the next project: a ground-mounted system south of the plant in Artern with an output of 683 kWp is currently in the planning phase. In the future, an area of around 9,400 m² will not only accommodate solar modules, but also new trees – commissioning is planned for mid-2026.
Together, the two systems will achieve a total output of almost 1 MWp in future and enable a degree of self-sufficiency of over 20 %. Taking into account all one-off and running costs, Gustavo Gusto will achieve a return on investment (ROI) of around 300% for both systems over the 25-year performance period. In addition to the economic profitability, the ecological balance sheet is also impressive: the two PV systems will save around 5,000 tons of CO2e in the long term. Gustavo Gusto thus clearly demonstrates how closely climate protection and economic efficiency can be linked.
Return on investment from sustainability
300 %
With our energy projects, we consistently focus on efficiency, modern technology and increasing self-sufficiency. With photovoltaics and renewable energies, we reduce emissions, strengthen our independence and increase our profitability at the same time – a real benefit at all levels.
Silvia Grabmeier
Technical project manager Gustavo Gusto
