In a new case study, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) analyzes how Kipster, a Netherlands-based egg producer, has successfully expanded into the US market while maintaining a focus on carbon neutrality, animal welfare, and using surplus food for animal feed. The company has expanded to demonstrate the possibility of its circular business model for animal protein being both viable and profitable in the US, despite differing regulations, operating norms, and consumer cultures.
A circular business model is designed to provide a product that, from source to end-of-life, has a net-zero or net-positive impact on the planet. This can be accomplished through efficiency, reusing or creating value from what would traditionally be considered waste, avoiding virgin material inputs, and/or negating carbon and other resource use.
"There's definitely some skepticism that a truly circular business model for animal protein can work in the US at a large scale. But Kipster has risen to the challenge and is working to prove that it can be done," said Katherine Devine, Director of Business Case Development with WWF's Markets Institute. "Importantly, the company has also opened up the doors to show exactly how they are working through these challenges. That kind of transparency is exactly what we need to propel the entire industry forward to a more sustainable future."
Kipster debuted a first-of-its-kind farm in the Netherlands in 2017, with a circular, carbon-neutral, animal-friendly egg production model. In 2021, the company expanded production into the US, reaching select markets in 2022, with additional markets planned for 2023. WWF's case study details how Kipster's practices differ from conventional egg production-including feed sources, animal environments, and raising roosters for meat-and how it has replicated that model in the US.
Sandra Vijn, Kipster's Managing Director for the US, added: "At Kipster, we're guided by core beliefs that farm animals should contribute to a sustainable and healthy food system; humans must respect the emotions and instincts of farm animals; and that crops should be grown for human food, not for animal feed. We're proof that a business can operate successfully without compromising our principles."
Read the case study here: Kipster's Journey toward US Expansion
