Meijer Reaches Carbon Emissions Reduction Goal a Year Early
Meijer has exceeded its 2025 sustainability goal of reducing carbon emissions by 50% – one year ahead of schedule. The original target, unveiled in 2022, was to reduce its scope 1 and 2 greenhouse-gas emissions by 50% compared with 2018 levels; instead the retailer ended up achieving a 57% reduction in 2023. Meijer credits the accomplishment to a clear plan, senior leadership involvement and dedicated associates.
“At Meijer, we understand that to be a good company, we must be a good neighbor, and we achieve that by serving our communities in multiple ways, including protecting the planet,” noted Meijer President and CEO Rick Keyes. “Our commitment to reducing carbon emissions would not have been possible without the dedication of our team members, who remain committed to integrating sustainability efforts into our daily operations. Together, we are not only driving positive change within the company but we’re also setting an example for the industry, reinforcing that sustainable practices and business success go hand in hand.”
As part of its continuing commitment to sustainability, Meijer has implemented various key actions that enhanced its operational efficiency and contributes to its carbon emissions reduction milestone, among them:
Investments in Renewable Energy: The retailer has made virtual power purchase agreements involving renewable solar and wind energy.
Energy Efficiency Prioritization: Meijer has converted lighting at its retail facilities to energy-efficient LED, activated advanced building controls for optimized energy management and continues to conduct building recommissioning to improve overall operational efficiency. The company also prioritizes lifecycle asset management to replace equipment with more efficient options, and implements and tests such new advanced technology as geothermal refrigeration.
Refrigerant Management: For the past four years, Meijer has achieved the lowest corporate-wide refrigerant emissions rate among all EPA GreenChill Program partners nationwide.
“Achieving this carbon emissions reduction goal early shows our ongoing commitment to environmental stewardship,” asserted Erik Petrovskis, Meijer’s director of environmental compliance and sustainability. “It’s important we build upon this accelerated progress so we continue improving our operational efficiency and conserve our world for generations to come.”
Privately owned, family-operated Meijer operates 500-plus supercenters, grocery stores, neighborhood markets and express locations throughout the Midwest. The Grand Rapids, Mich.-based company is No. 25 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2024 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America. PG also named the company one of its Retailers of the Century and one of its 10 Most Sustainable Grocers for 2024.
