Whole Foods a Winner, Safeway a Loser, in Blog Sustainability Study

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. — An analysis of blog postings conducted by the research firm J.D. Power & Associates here indicates Whole Foods earns high marks when it comes to the perception of its environmental sustainability while Safeway and Costco have a long way to go. J.D. Power’s Web intelligence division analyzed 40 million blog posts made over the last six months to determine the extent of consumer engagement around sustainability generated by retail and consumer goods companies, the firm said Tuesday. Whole Foods not only generated the greatest volume of posts, but also a higher percentage of positive sentiments, earning designation as a “pacesetter,” J.D. Power said. Safeway and Costco, each of which generated more than 1% of the total volume of blog mentions, had lower-than-average proportion of positive sentiment and are considered “challenged,” the study said. Wal-Mart was considered “emerging” by generating the second-highest volume of comments but a lower positive sentiment. Retailers that generated less than 1% of the total number of mentions are considered dormant.

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