We’ve also reached out to customers. For instance, Publix shoppers have
By offering
embraced our reusable bag initiative, resulting in an annual reduction of more than 400 million paper and plastic grocery bags. Act Two: The Sustainability Initiative
reusable bags to our customers, we’re saving more than 1 million disposable paper
In 2007 sustainability became a top corporate priority—a definitive
and plastic grocery
signal that a concept which had always been part of our tradition was
bags every day!
to be taken into consideration across every aspect of our operations. CEO Ed Crenshaw made sustainability a high-priority companywide initiative. To get started, a seven-person core committee was created to plan and execute the sustainability strategy, and Ed chaired the committee for the first 18 months. At the same time, a 40-person cross-functional sustainability committee, drawing from every department in the company, worked to establish a performance baseline and discuss opportunities. In 2009 Publix added the support of environmentally sustainable practices as a key objective in our corporate strategy. The objective statement reads: We are committed to the responsible use of environmental resources. We reduce, whenever practical, our consumption of energy, fuel, water and materials. We employ and explore options for the reduction, reuse and recycling of materials. We promote sustainability with customers, associates and suppliers, and within the retail industry. The core committee that was created in July 2007 continues to recommend and implement appropriate sustainability principles into business processes and drive corporate strategy for conservation. Today the original committee has evolved into a team of 30 sustainability advocates, who track and report the performance of every business unit against defined goals. Publix has been commended for our efforts with a range of prestigious awards, including the 2009 Supermarket News Sustainability Excellence Award, 2009 Produce Business Retail Sustainability Award, 2008 Progressive Grocer Green Grocer Award, and 2007 Council for Sustainable Florida Large Business Best Practice Award.
Publix Sustainability Report 2009
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