Kroger Celebrates Earth Day with 'Sustainability Lives Here'

To honor Earth Day and highlight its ongoing sustainability efforts, The Kroger Co. is rolling out a robust program involving events and customer engagement to help highlight easy, earth-friendly and sustainable living practices.

 Among the Sustainability Lives Here campaign elements are:

•             A new website, SustainabilityLivesHere.com, packed with green-living solutions, including $50 in digital coupons targeted toward eco-friendly, organic and natural products across departments; healthy recipes; a legend to help customers understand the sustainability attributes of various products; green inspiration with ideas for fun DIY projects that repurpose, reuse and upcycle; green gardening and pet tips; and ideas for reducing food waste.

•             In-store activities that highlight Kroger's emphasis on local options, including a chance to celebrate Earth Day with a wholesome meal through sampling of a garden burger with organic mayonnaise and organic cheese and Honest Tea; and "Meet the Farmer" events and visits from local distributers at select locations.

•             In-store signage to highlight the many sustainable areas of the grocery store. Selected departments include dairy, with the message that 97 percent of dairy farms are family owned; seafood, highlighting Kroger offerings that are certified by the Marine Stewardship Council; floral, where Kroger's Private Selection Roses are Rainforest Alliance Certified; and produce, where Kroger works closely with local farmers to source fresh options.

Commitment to the planet

"At Kroger, sustainability reflects our heartfelt commitment to our planet, our community and our people," said Jessica Adelman, Kroger's group VP of corporate affairs. "Every day in our stores, distribution centers, manufacturing facilities and offices, we strive to make a positive difference. We look forward to sharing our commitment with our local community and helping our loyal customers find ways they can make small changes that add up to a big difference."

Kroger has a long-standing commitment to sustainable business practices. The company has donated food and funds valued at more than $1.2 billion since 2010; donated more than 56 million pounds of healthy produce and proteins through its Perishable Donations Program; has nearly 1,200 stores participating in food waste recycling; recycled more than 200 million pounds of plastic bags since 2008; and diverted 70 percent of waste away from landfills.

Cincinnati-based Kroger operates 2,778 retail food stores under a variety of local banner names in 35 states and the District of Columbia.