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Pleasanton-based Safeway this week released its sixth annual sustainability report, called the “Heart of Safeway,”which highlights progress the company has made Safeway made in the areas of environmental sustainability, community impact and responsible business practices.
The report contains updates such as Safeway’s significant progress toward its industry-leading goal to responsibly source all of its fresh and frozen seafood by the end of 2015.
The report spotlights stories of lives positively impacted by Safeway – from employees and nonprofit partners to local farmers and producers – and suggests ways in which Safeway’s customers can adopt more sustainable, healthy habits.
“The Heart of Safeway is made up of people we proudly employ, the variety of products we offer customers, the communities in which we live and work, and the planet that we aim to protect,” said Larree Renda, executive vice president and chairwoman of the company-wide Sustainability Executive Task Force.
“Safeway is very proud of the strides we made in 2013 in an effort to continually create better lives, vibrant neighborhoods, and a healthier planet,” she added.
Safeway’s 2013 performance highlights include:
People. Employees are the Heart of Safeway. From wellness services to providing new skills and career opportunities through leadership training, employee well-being is a top priority for the company. In 2013, Safeway:
Hired 1,833 military veterans and continued to support leadership development training for our employee veterans through Junior Military Officer and Non-Commissioned Military Officer programs.
Scored 100% in the Human Rights Campaign Buyer’s Guide and Corporate Equality Index.
Helped 65% of employees and health plan participants enrolled in the company’s Healthy Measures program to improve their cholesterol level from the previous year.
Products. Because many of our customers want to make choices that are healthier for them and the planet, Safeway has a growing selection of wholesome and natural products, locally grown produce and sustainable seafood. In 2013, Safeway:
Achieved No. 2 ranking on Greenpeace’s sustainable seafood retail scorecard.
Continued to make substantial progress in sourcing seafood sustainably, surpassing the 51% milestone toward having all fresh and frozen seafood responsibly caught or farmed by the end of 2015.
Announced a sustainable sourcing policy for palm oil and a goal to source 1 million pounds of sustainable palm oil in 2014.
Community. Safeway is committed to improving the communities we serve. Through fundraising, food donations, volunteer efforts, and other charitable activities, Safeway stores provide localized support in their neighborhoods. In 2013, Safeway:
Donated nearly 72 million pounds of food to support hunger relief.
Employees volunteered over 1 million hours with nonprofit organizations.
Raised and contributed over $41.2 million to charitable causes through The Safeway Foundation.
Planet. Safeway always considers its environmental impact and actively seeks new ways to minimize its footprint. The company also encourages employees and customers to do the same. In 2013, Safeway:
Progressed toward its 2015 goal to eliminate 1 billion plastic and paper bags in its stores, announcing that it already eliminated over 300 million bags since 2011.
Set a goal to reduce absolute greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by 2020 versus a 2010 baseline.
Saved over 75 million gallons of water across its stores.
For a comprehensive view of Safeway’s 2013 sustainability initiatives and performance, visit the Company’s sustainability website at safeway.com/csr/
Thanks for this article. Jeb. Interesting about the seafood — do you know whether they are similarly engaged in efforts to responsibly source their other animal products, like beef, pork and chicken? Are they applying pressure on those suppliers to improve their products’ healthfulness, environmental impact and the conditions under which the food animals are raised and brought to market?
Anybody from Safeway want to weigh-in?
I hate going to the Safeway on Santa Rita. I always feel like I’m in a soup kitchen with the trashy clientele. I shop at Raley’s with my fellow hi-so crowd.
Jtjh. Thank you for that well written, articulate and meaningful post. I am sure everyone will agree with me. Not.
To each his/her own opinion, WOW.
don’t take the Nazi patrol too seriously….dozens and dozens and dozens of my well thought out posts have been deleted and i just keep on truckin’ and don’t care…that’s just the way the werl turns…
shine it on and post again and again…that’s what i do
Cholo Pololo Mololo…yup…you gots to keep on truckin’ and i don’t care how many of my well thought posts get deleted…you gots to have faith in something and i just do…all the way in one play is my motto!!!!!
HOORAY CHOLO…NOT A GIVE UP KINDA WIMP…HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA…ALL THE WAY HOME!
and in case some of you have forgotten, your worst nightmare has arrived!!!
http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/01/24/in-2014-latinos-will-surpass-whites-as-largest-racialethnic-group-in-california/
jajajajajajajajajajajajajajaj…catch my drift?
The envirnment is important to protect, so we in Livermore can grow whine to
>> Employees are the Heart of Safeway. <<
…..Though it’s working very hard to replace the checkout chamber of that heart with artificial components.
I’m so tired of the blockages in the arteries leading to the microscopic number of living heart parts that Safeway now apparently deems appropriate.
I accept that the PW has the right to remove any posts it wishes. However, I am rather taken aback to learn my post was removed because it allegedly made no sense! Apparently my carefully-considered use of imagery fell on stony ground. 🙂 I have strong feelings on this topic, however, so have decided to express my opinion again, this time more directly.
My point was that Safeway apparently claimed that its employees were the heart of the company. Yet I am certain that – like me – many customers will have concluded that it has been actively trying to devise ways of reducing the number of those employees.
It has installed many self-checkouts and frequently now has only one or two manned checkouts open, undoubtedly to encourage customers to use the automated ones.
Often the checkout operators have no courtesy clerk to help them, even when there is a line. As a result, customers using the manned checkouts have the choice between slowing the line down by waiting to have their purchases packed by the checkout operator, or surrendering to what I presume is Safeway’s hoped-for solution. i.e. They pack their purchases themselves. And thus help Safeway reduce costs by eliminating the need for courtesy clerks.
I shop in a number of local branches of Safeway, at various times of day, and I have observed diminished standards of service in all of them. Not because the employees are any less helpful, but because there are fewer of them.
In view of all this, the company’s claim that its employees are the heart of the company seems to me rather an empty one.
Yes, cholo, we are all so grateful for your incessant posting. At least it keeps you off the streets.
By the way, it, Safeway is in business to make a profit. It’s the American way, so they will cut cost wherever they can, especially by trimming union fat.