Albertsons highlights sustainable successes in report
Albertsons Cos. released its 2018 Sustainability Update, highlighting successes in reducing waste, expanding organic offerings, seafood sustainability and supporting the causes customers care about most, according to a press release issued by the Boise, Idaho-based retailer. In conjunction, the company announced it is purchasing 10 all-electric Tesla tractors for its Southern California fleet. The vehicles are part of the company’s ongoing efforts to decrease carbon emissions and run a cleaner transportation program, according to Albertsons.
“Our employee promise is to Make Every Day a Better Day,” said Albertsons Cos. President and CEO Jim Donald, in a statement. “That means being a good community partner and a committed steward of the environment. We take that obligation seriously because our company is growing and innovating at lightning speed. And when we move forward, we leave a trail behind.”
Albertsons’ sustainability report highlights progress across four platforms of Sustainability: product, community, planet and people. The retailer said progress and accomplishments across the company’s banners include:
• Surpassed $1 billion in sales for the O Organics line of USDA-certified organic products. O Organics is one of the nation’s largest private brand USDA-certified organic brands.
• Won the 2017 Environmental Protection Agency Safer (EPA) Choice Partner of the Year Award for promoting safer products such as Open Nature household cleaning supplies.
• Trained 3,000 pharmacists to administer NARCAN Nasal Spray, a life-saving drug that reverses the effects of an opioid overdose.
• Donated more than $250 million in food donations to local food banks.
• Raised and distributed $44.6 million to support causes that impact customers’ lives, including wildfire and hurricane disaster relief, veterans’ charities, childhood hunger, and cancer research and treatment
• Named an EPA Green Power Partner for the fourth-consecutive year for procuring and using renewable energy.
Albertsons also plans to add 10 Tesla all-electric semi-trucks to its fleet to service Albertsons, Vons and Pavilions stores in Southern California. The trucks will be able to travel 300 to upwards of 500 miles on a single charge, even with a fully loaded trailer, and use less than two kilowatt hours of energy per mile.
Advancing supply chain efficiency and sustainability is an important goal for our company,” said Tom Nartker, Albertsons’ vice president of transportation. “We’re excited to pilot this expansion of our transportation program with trucks that help us limit our overall carbon footprint.”
The retailer said the electric semis expand its commitment to running a safe, sustainable fleet to service its 2,300 stores across the country. As a partner and supporter of the Environmental Protection Agency’s SmartWay transportation program, the company said it actively promotes SmartWay certification to improve freight efficiency and environmental performance.
Read the full 2018 Sustainability Update here.