Kroger Adds Sustainability Commitments

The Kroger Co. has presented new and expanded commitments to enhance responsible sourcing efforts and improve eco-stewardship by 2020.

“Our goal is to be a positive force for change in our communities and to drive sustainability and innovation across the supply chain,” said Rodney McMullen, Kroger chairman and CEO. “We believe that our 2020 goals set the course for this important, ongoing journey.”

Among the new commitments, Kroger has pledged to:

• Source at least 90 percent of its volume from fisheries that are Marine Stewardship Council-certified.
• Transition to 100 percent cage-free eggs by 2025.
• Partner with The Sustainability Consortium to assess key commodities using the consortium’s commodity-mapping tool, designed to help identify and further understand social and environmental risks in upstream commodities.
• Meet and exceed the Environmental Protection Agency’s “zero waste” threshold of 90 percent diversion from landfill in its facilities by 2020.
• Optimize corporate-brand packaging by 2020, following a “balanced, multipronged approach” that considers food safety, shelf life, availability, quality, material type and source, function recyclability, cost, and more.
• Improve transportation efficiency by 20 percent.

Kroger also released its 10th annual sustainability report, available online at http://sustainability.kroger.com.

"Our 10th annual sustainability report highlights our associates' commitment to make a difference for our communities, our planet and each other," noted McMullen. "The report outlines Kroger's growing focus on responsible sourcing and our progress in the fight against hunger, reducing our carbon footprint, and moving toward "zero waste" in our stores and facilities"

Cincinnati-based Kroger operates 2,778 retail food stores under a variety of local banners in 35 states and Washington, D.C.