Retail giant Albertsons is strengthening its commitment towards reducing its environmental impact and battling food insecurity in its recently released 2023 Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) report.
According to the company, efforts are geared towards lowering carbon emissions, creating a diverse and inclusive workforce, eliminating food waste going to landfills, reducing unnecessary plastics and packaging, and tackling food insecurity.
“Our latest report further solidifies our long-standing commitment to support the thousands of communities we serve and the planet we share,” CEO Cos Vivek Sankaran said.
“In 2022, we made meaningful progress against our commitments, further aligning what we do with who we are as a company. We will continue to challenge ourselves to lead positive change as we build upon this momentum to create better lives, vibrant neighborhoods, and a healthier planet.”
Driving positive impact: Albertsons’ Recipe for Change framework
Albertsons first introduced its Recipe for Change framework in 2022, which outlines specific strategies and goals to facilitate positive impact. These span four pillars: planet, people, product, and community.
The report shows that Albertsons achieved a 21% reduction in carbon emissions across operations between 2019 and 2022, completed over 1,100 energy efficiency projects, and transitioned over 85 refrigeration projects to lower global warming potential refrigerants. The company also recycled over 850 million pounds of cardboard and 27 million pounds of plastic film and bags.
“We will continue to challenge ourselves to lead positive change as we build upon this momentum to create better lives, vibrant neighborhoods, and a healthier planet.”
Waste reduction is another focal point of Albertsons’ 2023 report. In 2022, it achieved its goal of providing standardized recycling communications on over 7,000 company products through How2Recycle labels and QR codes. More than 321 million pounds of food and trimmings from landfills have been diverted through composting, upcycling solutions, and anaerobic digestion, turning food waste into a rich soil supplement.
Innovative artificial intelligence technology has been adopted across nearly all Albertsons stores. These ensure products can be accurately ordered and produced in their correct amounts according to consumer demand, reducing unsold food.
To combat food insecurity, Albertsons has enabled 254 million meals through store food donations and its Nourishing Neighbors program, amounting to more than 950 million meals since 2019. In 2022, it raised more than USD 40 million, which resulted in 188 million meals.
“The progress we saw in 2022 would not have been possible without the passion and dedication of our associates,” said Chief Sustainability and Transformation Officer, Suzanne Long. “Because of them, we made meaningful changes that improve business performance while reducing our emissions, building belonging with our team members, lessening food waste going to landfill and addressing food insecurity.
“In the year ahead, we plan to expand our engagement for Recipe for Change, including partnering with our vendors to drive industry change and increasing customer involvement in achieving our goals. By bringing others along on our journey, we can make change a reality.”
