Sainsbury’s, one of the UK’s leading retailers, revealed a new £1 billion (about $1.6 billion USD) sustainability plan last week, establishing 20 specific targets the company wants to achieve by 2020.
The Sainsbury’s 20 by 20 Sustainability Plan will focus on four key areas: (more…)
Last month, Shaw’s Supermarkets launched an aggressive sustainable seafood program and announced that it is now the first New England-based retailer with fresh case products certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC).
Shaw’s says it developed the new sustainable seafood sourcing program in close collaboration with the MSC, the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI) and North Coast Seafood – the company’s single seafood supplier.
Initially, the MSC-certified product offerings will include wild sockeye salmon, wild king salmon, wild Coho salmon, wild Alaskan halibut, pacific frozen at sea cod, Canadian frozen at sea flounder, Icelandic fresh haddock and Canadian fresh haddock.
The Gulf of Maine Responsibly Harvested products will include lobster, northern shrimp, cod, haddock, sea scallops and pollock.
Additional fresh seafood items will be added as the program expands over time.
Concerns about global fish stocks have prompted several companies in the food sector to adopt sustainable seafood policies. (See earlier posts about Walmart Canada, Costco, Kroger and others.) (more…)
Last week, Supervalu announced that it will transition 40 more stores to zero waste operations during the company’s current fiscal year, which ends on February 29, 2012.
Supervalu, which is among the country’s largest grocery chains, operates about 4300 stores, with approximately 140,000 employees and annual sales of some $38 billion. The company gained recognition last November when it became the first retailer to achieve zero waste classification at two of its Albertsons grocery stores. The success of the pilot zero waste program at the two stores in Santa Barbara, CA, convinced management to expand the initiative this year.
To achieve zero waste recognition, stores must divert at least 90 percent of all waste from landfills — a feat accomplished through increased associate engagement, as well as through adoption of these specific initiatives: (more…)
Kroger, the nation’s largest traditional grocery retailer, has announced significant improvements to its seafood buying practices and standards.
Working in partnership with WWF, Kroger says by 2015, it wants to source 100 percent of its top 20 wild-caught species from sources that are certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), in full assessment, or involved in a Fishery Improvement Project with WWF.
In addition, Kroger will:
Last week, I wrote about UK food retailers that are voluntarily committing to reduce waste.
New this week, I’ve learned that two grocery stores in Santa Barbara, California have reached “zero waste” classification in their daily operations.
Alberstons, part of the nationwide SUPERVALU family of grocery stores, announced late last month that through a combination of
the two stores now divert all non-contaminated waste from landfills and incinerators.
In total, over 95 percent of all waste products from both stores are recycled, reused or composted – exceeding the 90 percent threshold commonly recognized as zero waste. And that means that together, the stores divert annually on average 2,074,328 pounds of waste from the landfill, including 808,200 pounds of cardboard, 27,524 pounds of plastic and 2,688 pounds of paper.
According to Albertsons, the waste diversion program hinged on two key components: (more…)
