Wakefern Food Corp. and Manomet’s Grocery Stewardship program are collaborating on new environmentally friendly initiatives at 40 ShopRite stores in New Jersey.
The partnership is made possible by grants provided by the EPA.
“Wakefern is already putting a tremendous effort into their role as environmental stewards and we are pleased to work with them to focus their efforts on operational sustainability,” said Peter Cooke, program manager of Manomet’s Grocery Stewardship program. “The cooperative has a number of great programs underway on resource conservation, retail engagement and sustainable sourcing. This new sustainability partnership will help them quantify what they’re already doing in ShopRite stores and build out their programs for the future. We are pleased to be able to work with Wakefern and the EPA.”
Wakefern, based in Keasbey, N.J., and Manomet, Plymouth, Mass., have worked in the past with ShopRite stores in New Jersey and Connecticut to reduce stores’ environmental footprint by reducing waste, energy and water usage — practices that have resulted in nearly 2 million pounds of waste being diverted from landfills.
“This latest project will help business owners reduce their use of greenhouse gases and conserve energy. By taking steps to reduce waste at the source, businesses can improve the environment and their bottom line at the same time,” said EPA regional administrator Judith A. Enck. “Pollution prevention is some of the most important work being done by retailers to protect the environment.”
“There are so many opportunities for us to be a more sustainable company,” added Karen Meleta, VP of consumer and corporate communications at Wakefern. “Rolling out Manomet’s Grocery Stewardship program right now across more of our ShopRite stores is just one of the ways we get there and one of the many examples of how we are investing in sustainability in our stores.”
The purpose of the Manomet’s Grocery Stewardship program is to substantially reduce the environmental impacts (waste, water use, energy use, and greenhouse gas emissions) of grocery stores, consumers and entire supply chains. The Grocery Stewardship program is run by Manomet’s Sustainable Economies program and was launched in 2012.
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