Kroger celebrates ‘Earth Month’ with stepped-up sustainability campaign

With Earth Day, April 22, fast approaching, Cincinnati-based The Kroger Co. is calling attention to its ongoing environmental commitment and its “Sustainability Lives Here” campaign, which is taking place throughout April, or “Earth Month,” the retailer said. The campaign includes a number of events and customer engagement activities to help highlight easy, earth-friendly sustainable living practices, according to Kroger.

In conjunction with the Sustainability Lives Here campaign, Kroger will undertake the following initiatives:

• Donate $50,000 to the World Wildlife Fund to support the organization’s global conservation efforts.
• Offer more than $60 in digital coupons through SustainabilityLivesHere.com for products with eco-friendly certifications such as Fair Trade, Rainforest Alliance and Forest Stewardship Council as well as organic and natural products across departments.
• Promote healthful recipes using eco-friendly products.
• Provide “green inspiration” on how consumers can make small changes in how they shop and prepare and store food, so they will throw away less while eating well, saving money and keeping valuable resources from going to waste.

“At Kroger, our goal is to be a positive force for change in our communities and to conscientiously drive sustainability and innovation into the supply chain,” said Jessica Adelman, Kroger’s group vice president of corporate affairs, in a statement. “Every day, our 443,000 associates work together to serve the more than 8.5 million customers that enter our stores. We strive to make their lives easier, brighter and a little bit lighter and make a difference.”

Kroger stated that its long-standing commitment to sustainability also includes the following practices: supporting 20 fishery improvement projects, donating more than 61 million pounds of “healthy produce and proteins” through its Perishable Donations Program in 2016, and diverting 78 percent of waste away from landfills.