Albertsons Cos. Shares 2023 ESG Report

Albertsons Companies has released its 2023 Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Report, highlighting the grocer’s progress towards sustainability and more.

Last April, Albertsons Cos. released its Recipe for Change initiative, which laid out the company’s goal of achieving net zero in its own operations by 2040 in addition to eliminating food waste going to landfill, increasing workforce diversity, and helping fight against food insecurity. The company’s efforts fall into four categories: planet, people, product and community.

"Our latest report further solidifies our long-standing commitment to support the thousands of communities we serve and the planet we share,” said Vivek Sankaran, CEO of Albertsons Cos. “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.”

Highlights from the 2023 ESG Report for fiscal year 2022 (unless otherwise noted) include:

Planet

• Reduced carbon emissions in operations by 21% between 2019 and 2022.
• Completed more than 1,100 energy efficiency projects across operations in 2022 to reduce energy demand. Projects included installing LED lighting retrofits, doors on refrigerated cases, building management systems and more.
• Completed more than 85 refrigeration projects across operations in 2022 to transition stores to lower global warming potential refrigerants.
• Recycled more than 850 million pounds of cardboard and 27 million pounds of plastic film and bags in 2022.

People

• Launched a company-wide inclusion index, which enables associates to share their individual perspectives and help foster a culture where everyone is treated with courtesy, dignity and respect.
• Launched the company’s eighth associate resource group, DiverseABILITY, which focuses on providing awareness, celebration and opportunities for people with diverse abilities, their caretakers and allies.
• Trained over 15,000 leaders through “Leading with Inclusion” workshops, designed to heighten awareness around bias and provide tools to support a more inclusive work environment.

Product

• Achieved the goal to provide standardized recycling communications on more than 7,000 Own Brands packaged products through How2Recycle labels and QR codes.
• Leveraged innovative artificial intelligence technology across nearly all Albertsons Cos. stores to accurately order and produce the correct amount and assortment of products for customers and reduce unsold food.
• Diverted more than 321 million pounds of food and trimmings from landfills through composting, innovative upcycling solutions and anaerobic digestion, which turns food waste into a rich soil supplement.

Community

• Enabled 254 million meals through store food donations and Albertsons Cos. Foundation’s Nourishing Neighbors program, totaling more than 950 million meals since 2019.
• Raised more than $40 million through Nourishing Neighbors, enabling 188 million meals in 2022.
• Improved access to nutritious food by rolling out a new online service for Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) recipients that enables SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) customers to use their benefits when purchasing groceries online.

 Albertsons Cos. operates more than 2,270 retail food and drug stores in 34 states with 1,726 pharmacies, 401 associated fuel centers, 22 dedicated distribution centers and 19 manufacturing facilities.