SuperValu, Centra and Musgrave MarketPlace stores across Ireland have donated 129,000 to local community buildings in conjunction with the SEAI

Sustainability Musgrave Group supporting sustainable communities with SEAI

SuperValu, Centra and Musgrave MarketPlace stores across Ireland have donated €129,000 to local community buildings in conjunction with the SEAI.

SUPERVALU, Centra and Musgrave MarketPlace stores have teamed up with the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) for the ninth consecutive year to spearhead environmental change in the Irish retail sector and beyond through their ‘Building Sustainable Communities’ initiative. Once again in partnership with the SEAI, a number of community upgrade projects were completed, with 10 stores across Ireland participating in the initiative. The community grant scheme administered by SEAI supported the project with a total investment value of €265,000. The initiative calls on stores to identify and upgrade areas of their own operations which can be made more energy efficient, in keeping with high standards of energy efficiency and renewable energy usage, but also enables them to identify community buildings in their area to donate funds and enable them to upgrade their facilities. The objective of the initiative is to reduce energy costs, fossil fuel usage and greenhouse gas emissions year-onyear.

Welcome savings in a challenging year

Over €1.2m was invested by the stores that participated in 2020, whereby several energy-saving measures and solutions were implemented. The community buildings associated with stores who participated in the scheme received up to €129,000 between them as a result of energy-saving measures implemented by their respective SuperValu, Centra and Musgrave Marketplace stores.

Community buildings and clubs who benefitted include; • Peamount FC, Dublin • Cuala GAA Club, Dublin • Midleton Football Club, Cork • Midleton Rugby Club, Cork • Carndonagh FC, Donegal • Ballybunion Leisure Centre, Kerry • Ballybunion Community Centre, Kerry • Kings Island Community Centre, Limerick • Dungarvan Rugby Club, Waterford

Upgrades included the installation of new heat pumps and insulation, while others had windows and doors replaced and the remainder opted for new energy efficient LED lighting. These upgrades put funds back into the pockets of nominated community groups during a challenging year, reducing yearly energy bills by almost €19,000 or 147,000 thermal KWH savings, the equivalent in energy terms to powering 43 houses per year. The 10 stores involved in this year’s Building Sustainable Communities initiative included SuperValu stores in Sundrive, Rush, Youghal, Newmarket, Midleton, Carndonagh, Ballybunion and Dungarvan, as well as Centra Newtownpark Avenue (Dublin) and Musgrave MarketPlace Limerick.

Daniel Murphy, Cost and Sustainability Manager with Musgrave, celebrating their contribution to the Building Sustainable Communities Scheme, in partnership with the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland.

A shining example of the fantastic strides being made in their green endeavours is SuperValu Ballybunion, Co. Kerry. The store underwent a refrigeration and LED lighting update in 2017, which greatly reduced their electricity consumption and carbon footprint by almost 30%. This year, the store had PV solar panels installed, which has reduced their carbon footprint by a further 20% now that the store is generating its own green energy. Centra Newtownpark Avenue, Blackrock, also made huge energy savings as a result of new PV solar panels installed this year, reducing their carbon footprint by 40%.

Leading by example

“The Musgrave Group have been leading by example in their own stores with their energy saving initiatives, in addition to informing their communities and customers in the process to illustrate how everyday changes can make a big difference,” noted Declan Meally, Head of Transport and Communities with SEAI. Ian Allen, Managing Director, SuperValu and Centra, commented: “As part of our sustainability plans, we are committed to making a real difference and creating a positive impact on communities across Ireland. We are constantly looking for ways in which we can operate our business in more environmentally friendly ways. For example, we are working to ensure that 100% of our Own Brand range packaging will be recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2025 and to reduce our carbon emissions to net zero carbon by 2050. “The Building Sustainable Communities initiative is one that we are proud to be part of each year and it’s quite rewarding to see a significant reduction in the various stores’ energy bills, having completed the various works. It’s even more rewarding to see our community buildings are also benefitting from this initiative and I look forward to the other positive changes we’ll make together in the future.”