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Home > About SUPERVALU > Environmental Stewardship


Waste Recycled
Cardboard (OCC)
Recycled Cardboard
Plastic
Recycled Plastic
Plastic = Shrink wrap and
customer returned shopping
bags
Plastic bags to Lumber benches
94 composite lumber benches
were converted from plastic bags
and then purchased and donated
to local parks and schools in 2008
Beverage containers returned
449 million beverage containers were returned to SUPERVALU stores in 2008
SUPERVALU Environmental Stewardship
SUPERVALU's Commitment to Environmental Sustainability
  • To make steady progress in reducing our carbon footprint over the next five years
  • To reduce our landfill waste by 50 percent in five years
  • To build a "green" culture with SUPERVALU associates through education, communication and engagement
  • To provide "green" products and services to our customers that support them in meeting their personal environmental goals
Sustainability Initiatives
SUPERVALU is committed to reducing energy usage in our stores. Between 2000 and 2008, SUPERVALU invested $100 million on energy projects, saving over 400 million kilowatts
of energy per year.
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Sustainability Initiatives
SUPERVALU encourages customer involvement in our ongoing recycling programs, which help convert thousands of tons of waste each year into renewable materials.
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Sustainability Initiatives
SUPERVALU's environmental stewardship council, ValuEarth,
oversees a variety of activities aimed at minimizing the company's
environmental footprint. ValuEarth activities are initiated and managed by the director of environmental stewardship.
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Sustainability Initiatives
SUPERVALU is an active member of
The Food Marketing Institute's Sustainability Task Force
and Energy and Technical Services Committee.
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Sustainability Initiatives
SUPERVALU joined the Environmental Protection Agency's
GreenChill Advanced Refrigeration Partnership, a voluntary program to promote green business technologies, strategies and practices.
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Sustainability Initiatives
SUPERVALU banner stores across the country are using Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) principles in store design and construction. These principles allow our stores to be leaders in the construction of high performance green buildings.
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Sustainability Initiatives
SUPERVALU commends Will Steger's Ellesmere Island expedition
to raise awareness of global warming issues and promote
responsible and sustainable stewardship of our planet. We were
proud to sponsor the expedition with monetary and food support.
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Sustainability Initiatives
Many SUPERVALU retail stores sponsor earth-friendly holiday
activities including initiatives and projects to celebrate Earth Day.
In April of 2009, SUPERVALU sold 636,388 reusable bags
as part of environmental promotions.
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Sustainability Initiatives
SUPERVALU stores offer customers reusable bags as an
eco-friendly option for carrying their groceries.
Retail locations sold nearly four million bags in 2008.
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Sustainability Initiatives
SUPERVALU standardized the onboard computer systems
in its trucking fleet in an effort to increase fuel economy. This tool allows real time and accurate reporting to measure driver and engine
performance on a variety of different metrics.
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SUPERVALU's Methods of Energy Conservation
  • SUPERVALU designs all of its new stores with low energy white thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO) roofing systems which reflect heat and reduce the heat island effect.
  • SUPERVALU piloted the use of skylights for all new stores to increase day lighting and reduce the energy used for lighting the stores.
  • All new blue, green, and red signage at stores uses LED lighting, which uses 20 percent less energy than traditional neon signs.
  • SUPERVALU is implementing low energy LED lighting, which uses 50 percent less energy than traditional lights, for in-store lighting needs, such as:
    • Reach-in frozen food cases
    • Exterior wall packs and back room lighting
    • Spot lighting
    • Walk-in freezer and cooler boxes
  • SUPERVALU is experimenting with the installation of roof-mounted solar power collection systems for some stores and testing green roofs in others
  • The Star Market in Chestnut Hill, Mass., set to re-open in 2009, will serve as a pilot prototype for sustainability - the first of its kind in the region to combine the use of fuel cell electricity, LED lighting, and glycol/carbon dioxide refrigeration.
  • A newly opened Cub Foods supermarket in St. Paul, Minn. was the first store in the country to obtain gold-level certification from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's GreenChill Advanced Refrigeration Partnership.
Recycling and Waste Reduction Efforts
  • Select SUPERVALU stores participate in composting programs:
    • Albertsons stores in Seattle have turned the store compactors into compost containers that are filled and removed weekly.
    • Select Acme stores in Pennsylvania fill compost totes that are picked up on a daily basis and turned into high-grade soil.
    • Select Cub Foods stores in Minnesota and Shaw's stores in the Northeast have partnerships with local farmers to utilize store produce waste for animal feed.
  • SUPERVALU has implemented a Recycle bank partnership at Cub Foods, Shoppers Food & Pharmacy, ACME, Shaw's/Star Market, and Jewel-Osco. The recycling program rewards consumers' recycling efforts with store coupons.