Impact Leaders: Bertel Haugen, Rude Health

Bertel Haugen is Head of Innovation & Sustainability at Rude Health, the colourful, outspoken food and drink brand that’s become a staple for the UK. A certified B Corp with organic sourcing at its core, Rude Health has built a business that’s equal parts taste, transparency, and playful disruption.

In this Impact Leaders interview, Bertel shares how the company grew from cereals to plant-based drinks, what it means to lead responsibly in FMCG, and the real challenges behind net zero, Scope 3, and sustainable packaging.

Follow Bertel on LinkedIn here.

Toby: How did you join the Rude Health journey?

Bertel: I joined almost 12 years ago, just after we launched our first plant-based drinks. The company was founded in 2005 by Nick and Camilla with a single cereal - the Ultimate Muesli - and grew from there. What drew me in was that the name ‘Rude Health’ doesn’t limit us to one category - it gives us the freedom to explore food and drink in all its diversity.  At the time I joined, there were only eight of us. We’ve expanded massively since then, with plant-based drinks now at the core of our business.

Toby: What was the founding ethos, and has it carried through?

Bertel: Absolutely. Rude Health started as a reaction against what we called industrial or ultra-processed food. The aim was to use real, unprocessed ingredients - tasty and nourishing. Those same principles are now formalised in our product pillars, but they’ve been with us since the beginning.

Toby: Your brand identity is famously bold and playful. How does that fit with your impact mission?

Bertel: We take food very seriously, but we don’t take ourselves too seriously. That balance reflects our culture. From day one, our packs read like newspapers - full of wit and voice. It’s how we communicated with each other, and it became our identity. As we evolved, we embraced more colour and energy, without losing the integrity of what’s inside the pack.

Toby: Why did you pursue B Corp certification and what impact has it had?

Bertel: It came from our team, not from the top. We’ve always had strong sustainability principles - organic, responsible sourcing, ethical packaging - but B Corp helped make those values more visible and measurable. It’s also a great framework for improving year-on-year. We certified in 2021 and recertified recently with 120 points.

Toby: What’s your view on the new B Corp standards?

Bertel: I get why they’re changing, but I’ll miss the points! We found it helpful to have a target to beat - not for competition’s sake, but to be better than ourselves. But we’re looking forward to the certification under the new standards!

Toby: Let’s talk about climate: what’s your approach to advocacy and net zero?

Bertel: We pledged net zero by 2030, and we’re continuing that work. But the real challenge is Scope 3 data – 99% of our emissions come from there. It’s hard when you don’t control the farms or factories. We’ve made progress by building relationships and asking the right questions, but it’s incremental and uncertain. The industry is improving, but there’s still a long way to go.

Toby: How do you see packaging in the context of your sustainability journey?

Bertel: Packaging is tangible – it’s what the consumer sees and touches – but it’s not the biggest part of our footprint. We use cartons with bio-based plastics and FSC-certified paper. They’re recyclable and perform well, but change is slow. We’ve looked at glass and plastic alternatives, but each comes with trade-offs. It’s about balancing sustainability with safety, shelf life, and usability.

Toby: What does responsible leadership look like at Rude Health?

Bertel: Long-term relationships with suppliers, not chasing the cheapest price. Being transparent. Publishing impact reports. And living our values, not just writing them down. For us, responsible leadership is about integrity, even when it’s hard.

Toby: And how do you maintain culture as you grow?

Bertel: When we were eight people, everything happened around one desk. Now with 35+ people, we’ve written down our values, defined our product pillars, and use them to guide decisions. That helps protect our culture as we scale.

Toby: Finally, what advice would you give to other impact founders?

Bertel: Don’t think of sustainability as only environmental. If people won’t buy your product, or if you can’t make a profit, it’s not sustainable. Understand your impact – truly. Use tools like lifecycle analysis to identify hotspots. And don’t underestimate the emotional pull of packaging – but know it’s rarely your biggest issue.

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This series of interviews is in support of our mission to accelerate sustainability and decarbonisation across SMEs, NGOs and value chains. By sharing experiences, lessons learned and tips and tricks to embedding sustainability, we can all learn how to improve more, faster.

ZeroBees (certified B Corp) are experts advisors for impact, sustainability and B Corp. From measuring and reducing greenhouse gas emissions to full support for B Corp assessment and re-certification, communication and impact reporting, we're here to help you navigate what's important and how to leverage your strengths. Book a call with us today.

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