Canadian Supermarket Diverts 328M Plastic Bags from Landfill

Canadian food distributor Loblaw Companies Ltd. has diverted 328 million plastic shopping bags from landfill, and reduced its fuel consumption by 2.1 percent per kilometer in 2008, according to the company’s second annual corporate social responsibility (CSR) report.

In 2008, the Brampton, Ontario-based company also diverted 70 percent of corporate banner store waste from landfill in Ontario and Nova Scotia, and reduced the size of its fliers, saving 5,200 tons of paper and more than 62,400 trees. Through its store return policy, Loblaw has accepted 3 million flower pots and flats for recycling.

Loblaw also opened an environmental flagship store in Scarborough, Ontario, built to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards. The store’s refrigerant requirements were reduced by 85 percent and its carbon footprint by 15 percent, compared to traditional grocery stores. Motion-activated LED lighting in the door cases of the frozen food aisle also cuts energy usage by about 50 percent.

The food distributor is also developing environmentally responsible “PC Green” products, with 48 green products currently on the market, and its wind energy project is underway at its store in Porters Lake, Nova Scotia. The company expects it will begin supplying green energy in May 2009.

For more information on how major Canadian grocery chains promote and integrate environmental issues into the shopping experience, check out the recent Green Grocer Report Card ranking released by Corporate Knights Magazine.