Albertsons to Set Emissions Reduction Goal
To help do its part in preventing the worst impacts of climate change, Albertsons Cos. has committed to the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) and will set an emissions reduction target that supports the goals of the United Nations’ Paris Agreement to reduce carbon emissions.
The SBTi is a partnership between CDP (a global disclosure system for managing environmental impacts), the United Nations Global Compact, the World Resources Institute, and WWF that helps companies take meaningful climate action through its science-based framework. The framework requires all emissions reduction goals to support the Paris Agreement’s objective to limit global warming to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels.
Albertsons will strive to lower its energy use in many ways, such as improving fuel efficiency in trucks, switching to LEDs that use less electricity, and harnessing renewable energy such as wind and solar. After evaluating its energy usage in its direct operations and indirect value chain, the grocer will submit an emissions reduction goal to SBTi for approval.
Other food retailers that have joined SBTi include Ahold Delhaize. Recently, Ahold Delhaize revealed its new health and sustainability goals following the company’s proprietary research showing that 43% of consumers feel sustainability is “extremely important,” up from 28% of consumers before the pandemic.
Additionally, in a recent assessment of priorities for Albertsons’ environmental, social and governance strategy, internal and external stakeholders rated energy and emissions as high priorities for the company to focus on.
“We are passionate about making a meaningful difference in our neighborhoods and planet, and are committed to continuing to reduce our climate impacts,” said Vivek Sankaran, Albertsons' president and CEO. “The SBTi framework will guide us in doing our part to minimize our impact within our own operations and beyond. We look forward to working with our supply chain partners to address this important issue.”
Efforts currently underway to measure and reduce emissions at Albertsons include:
- Emissions Reporting: Emissions are third-party verified and reported annually to The Climate Registry (TCR) and CDP. TCR awarded Albertsons Climate Registered Gold status for leadership in reporting verified emissions.
- Efficiency Projects: Albertsons implemented hundreds of energy efficiency projects in 2020 that are estimated to save more than 2 million metric tons of CO2e annually. Albertsons’ Southwest Division was recognized for Sustained Excellence in the Salt River Project’s 2020 Champions of Energy Efficiency awards.
- Sourcing Renewable Energy: Albertsons is one of the U.S. EPA’s top 30 retail partners for the agency's Green Power Partnership program. The grocer recently expanded its sourcing of renewable energy to more than 70 locations in Virginia and Arizona.
According to SBTi’s 2020 Progress Report, the companies that have already committed to science-based targets were able to reduce their combined emissions by 25% since 2015.
Other Earth-friendly initiatives undertaken by Albertsons include joining the Beyond the Bag Initiative to help reduce plastic waste. It even recently introduced Kalyana sustainable wines to its growing portfolio of Own Brands products that aim to promote ecological balance and biodiversity.
Boise, Idaho-based Albertsons operates stores across 34 states and the District of Columbia. The company’s stores predominantly operate under the banners of Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, Pavilions, Randalls, Tom Thumb, Carrs, Jewel-Osco, Acme, Shaw’s, Star Market, United Supermarkets, Market Street and Haggen. Albertsons is No. 8 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2020 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America. Ahold Delhaize USA, a division of Zaandam, Netherlands-based Ahold Delhaize and the parent company for Ahold Delhaize’s U.S. companies, is No. 11 on The PG 100.
