After the COVID-19 pandemic, citizens became more aware of the importance of health and caring for their environment, including a growing interest in preserving a healthy planet. This trend was seen in consumers and entrepreneurs, who spearheaded actions promoting sustainability with the sale and consumption of organic products, environmentally friendly packaging, and products generally made with a greater awareness of environmental stewardship.
The United Nations defines sustainability as “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”, which is promoting corporate investments in “green” businesses and social projects.
According to a survey by the consulting firm KPMG (2020), 96% of G250 companies (the 250 largest companies in the world according to revenue) report progress in implementing sustainability measures. Also, according to Price Waterhouse Cooper, another 80% of 5,200 companies in 52 countries follow the guidelines and share data on sustainable management related to environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) standards.
At the end of last year, the U.S. government administration signed its commitment at COP26 (United Nations Climate Change Conference) in the framework of “United Nations Climate” along with 152 countries to reinforce targets. It accelerated action with a Glasgow-Sharm Work Program to limit emissions and global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2030.
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Meanwhile, independent supermarkets are not lagging behind with initiatives to support the welfare of their community with sustainability projects.
For example, the National Supermarket Association (NSA) has a foundation that awards grants in Civic Leadership, Giving Back, Making a Difference, Mentoring, Volunteerism, and Community Service. Approximately $530,000 in undergraduate scholarships are awarded.
Another example is the Creative Choice Awards, organized by the National Grocers Association (NGA), which recognize supermarkets that are considered “Good Neighbors.”
This year Associated Supermarket Group won the award for its “Be a Good Neighbor” program for its community connections. ASG ran a campaign with a social dialogue that encouraged challenges and small community actions, with acts of kindness such as sharing a meal or checking on a neighbor.
The Independent Grocers Alliance (IGA) showed cases of supermarkets that had generated energy savings in refrigeration, lighting, air conditioning, and water consumption at the NGA Show 2022.
According to a case study presented at the NGA Show 2022, savings in a store can range from $38,000 to $114,000, giving an approximate average savings of $89,263. Furthermore, if we take into consideration that the average grocery store emits 1,383 metric tons of CO2 per year from energy consumption alone and another 1,556 metric tons of CO2 equivalent from refrigerant leaks, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), imagine the environmental mitigation impact that sustainability can achieved.
That value means that an average grocery store annually emits CO2 emissions equivalent to 635 passenger cars. Multiply that by 38,000 supermarkets in the United States, and that is a carbon footprint of at least 112 million metric tons in emissions alone (Ratio Institute).
We at Comercio Competitivo want to support your ESG projects to accelerate the transition to zero carbon emissions and seek the well-being of your community. We have a working methodology that helps you define your sustainable strategy based on opportunities and risks, evaluate your current management using a data intelligence platform, define the transformation and operationalization plan, and generate a management report and guidelines for green marketing.
If you are interested in learning more about how we can help you with sustainability plans, please contact us at [email protected].