EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn.– Continuing to be recognized as a leading retailer in the area of environmental sustainability, SUPERVALU INC. (NYSE: SVU) recently received multiple national honors for its cutting-edge sustainability efforts. First, the company is featured in the Carbon Disclosure Project’s (CDP) 2012 “Carbon Disclosure Leadership Index”, which honors companies for both environmental performance as well as transparency in this area. SUPERVALU received the highest score among national grocery retailers in this report. This honor comes on the heels of SUPERVALU also receiving two major honors as part of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) 2012 GreenChill Environmental Achievement Awards.
Through efforts like these, SUPERVALU reduced total emissions by three percent in the past year alone, with total waste reduction of over 11 percent across its network of 2,400 retail stores nationwide. Since 2007, SUPERVALU has consistently lowered business expenses and increased recycling revenues through its companywide sustainability efforts, bringing $56.8 million in total savings to the company.
“SUPERVALU has built a much-deserved reputation as a leader in the area of environmental sustainability, and that effort is very important to our business moving forward,” said Wayne Sales, president, chief executive officer and chairman, SUPERVALU. “Reducing our carbon footprint and limiting our waste is not only good for the environment, it’s good for the bottom line.”
SUPERVALU received two of the highest honors from GreenChill in 2012. SUPERVALU won the prestigious Distinguished Partner Award, given to the organization that helps best advance the overall mission of the GreenChill program, becoming the only company to win this award twice. Additionally, the company’s Albertsons Carpinteria store earned the Best Certified Store Award – the top honor for an individual store – for being the first in the nation to use only all-natural emission refrigerants. SUPERVALU won the same award in 2010 for its groundbreaking Chestnut Hill Star Market store. No other company has won either of these awards more than once.
The recently-remodeled Carpinteria store is SUPERVALU’s signature project for its participation in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Better Buildings Challenge, which aims to reduce energy usage in institutional, industrial, and commercial buildings by 20 percent by 2020. In fact, the store was one of just three projects selected to showcase its technology to Dr. David Danielson, U.S. Assistant Secretary of Energy, who toured the store last month.
SUPERVALU details several additional sustainability achievements in its recently-issued 2012 Corporate Social Responsibility Report, including:
• Nine percent reduction in carbon emissions since baseline year of 2007, keeping SUPERVALU on track to meet its 2012 goal in collaboration with World Wildlife Fund to reduce carbon emissions by 10 percent.
•$55 million invested in energy efficiency projects since 2007, resulting in a seven percent reduction of company-wide electricity use.
• Over 60 million pounds of food donated through the Fresh Rescue program last year, helping feed thousands of families in need while keeping unnecessary waste out of landfills.
• Commitment to 300 “zero-waste” stores during the current fiscal year; these stores recycle or reuse 90 percent or more of all waste.
• Major expansion of the company’s seafood sustainability program to include both farm-raised and wild-caught seafood, as well as the discontinuation of six wild-caught seafood species due to sustainability concerns.
“SUPERVALU’s leadership in bringing down its carbon emissions and reducing waste should be an inspiration for other retailers,” said Matt Banks, Senior Program Officer at World Wildlife Fund. “SUPERVALU, like other Climate Savers companies, clearly understands what it takes to be a responsible and profitable business in the 21st Century. As the climate threat grows, we look to their leadership to adopt innovative approaches that will drive the retail sector to wins in a low carbon economy."
SUPERVALU operates under nine traditional retail brands nationwide, including Acme, Albertsons, Cub Foods, Farm Fresh, Hornbacher’s, Jewel-Osco, Shaw’s/Star Market, Shop ‘n Save and Shoppers Food & Pharmacy. The company also owns the Save-A-Lot, one of the nation’s leading hard-discount, carefully selected assortment grocery chains.
About SUPERVALU INC.
SUPERVALU INC. is one of the largest companies in the U.S. grocery channel with annual sales of approximately $35 billion. SUPERVALU serves customers across the United States through a network of approximately 4,400 stores composed of 1,101 traditional retail stores, including 798 in-store pharmacies; 1,336 hard discount stores, of which 939 are operated by licensee owners; and 1,950 independent stores serviced primarily by the Company's food distribution business. SUPERVALU has approximately 130,000 employees. For more information about SUPERVALU visit www.supervalu.com.
Source: SUPERVALU INC.