Target, Wegmans Honored for Retail Sustainability

The Professional Retail Store Maintenance Association (PRSM) has presented Target Corp. and Wegmans Food Markets with its 2017 PRSM Innovation in Sustainability Award. Recognizing PRSM retail member companies with outstanding sustainability programs that deliver exceptional results, the honors were bestowed April 20 during the PRSM2017 National Conference in the association’s hometown of Dallas.

“PRSM has numerous retail members who are dedicated to sustainability,” said Bill Yanek, the organization’s CEO. “However, Target and Wegmans have gone above and beyond to incorporate leading-edge technologies, establish sustainability cultures inside their organizations and reduce their total carbon footprint.”

Among the highlights of Minneapolis-based Target’s sustainability efforts were147.5 megawatts of installed solar power, more than any other U.S. company; 1.3 billion pounds of retail waste diverted from landfills; 61 million pounds of food donated, enough to provide 51 million meals in the retailer’s communities; and 40 megawatts of renewable wind power, enough to power 60 of its stores.

The sustainability strides made Rochester, N.Y.-based Wegmans, meanwhile, include 14.5 million pounds of food donated to food banks, 4 million pounds of plastic bags recycled, 32.6 million pounds of food waste recycled and123 million pounds of cardboard and paper recycled. The grocer has also made considerable progress toward a zero-waste store, having reduced waste by 80 percent in a test store, with plans to introduce the waste reduction program to nine more locations this year. The revised goal for the pilot store will be to reduce waste by 90 percent in 2017.