ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY
Our stores and facilities have been active in environmental and community initiatives for more than three decades –
long before it became fashionable. We have always considered resource conservation the “right thing to do.”
Bag ReUse Efforts- We have promoted bag reuse for many years. Today, we continue to provide a broad assortment of reusable bags, and
have a plastic bag recycling bins at the front of each store. In 2014, more than 57 million bags were reused by ShopRite
customers. In fact, in the last 7 years our customers have kept approximately 380 million bags out of landfills! This
means less trash was sent to the landfills AND fewer resources were needed to create new bags.
Recycling Center
We are also active in keeping other materials out of the waste stream. Since the 1970’s, we have operated our own
recycling center in Elizabeth, New Jersey. The facility, which operates 16 hours a day, six days a week, recycles plastic
bags, shrink wrap and corrugated cardboard. Since that time over 1.8 MILLION TONS of materials have been
recycled! In 2014 alone, our stores recycled 133, 032 tons of cardboard, 3, 435 tons of plastics, 684 tons of newspaper,
390 tons of office paper, 73 tons of metal, and 2, 781 tons of waxed corrugated cardboard. The recycling program is
continually expanding. In fact, we also recycle floral containers, wire bound wooden crates and fluorescent light bulbs
and ballasts!
ShopRite Earth News
To help educate its customers and communities, we publish an environmental newsletter called ShopRite Earth News.
Since 2000, this award-winning publication informs our customers on how they can become more “green” through
reducing their own energy use, composting at home to reduce waste and other ways they can help reduce their impact
on the environment.
ShopRite Earth Day Challenge- -Awaiting feedback from EPA
Each year, we conduct the “ShopRite Earth Day Challenge.” This annual event challenges volunteers to beautify
their communities by cleaning up litter and restoring local parks and beaches. In 2014, approximately 6,000 volunteers
– wearing donated gloves and using donated trash bags -- gathered to clean up 63 communities in Connecticut,
Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. That’s over 25, 000 volunteers participating in the last
6 years! Call 1-800-ShopRite for more information.
In 2014, Produce Business magazine recognized our stores for sustainability efforts and green initiatives that filter
through every part of the cooperative. Several member owners were highlighted for taking big steps in their stores to
reduce waste and energy usage while reducing costs. In addition, over 20 ShopRite Stores (Browns Superstores and
Ravitz Family Markets) are now taking the Food Recovery Challenge and partnering with the United States
Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) to reduce food waste by recycling, composting and increasing food
donations.
About Wakefern Food Corp.
From a small, struggling cooperative with eight members – all owners of their own grocery stores – Wakefern Food Corp. has grown into the
largest retailer-owned cooperative in the United States. Founded in 1946, the cooperative is comprised of 50 members who today individually own
and operate more than 250 supermarkets under the ShopRite banner in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Maryland and
Delaware. In 1996, Wakefern introduced PriceRite stores, extending the company’s reach into Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Today, there are
over 50 PriceRite stores in six states. As the merchandising and distribution arm of ShopRite, PriceRite and The Fresh Grocer, Wakefern, together
with its member companies, employ more than 50,000 people; making it one of the largest employers in New Jersey. In addition, Wakefern also
distributes products to other supermarkets throughout the northeastern United States and Bermuda. Wakefern was named one of the 2011 and
2012 Best Places to Work in NJ by NJBIZ Magazine. In 2011, Supermarket News gave Wakefern its Retail Excellence Award and The Griffin
Report named Wakefern its Retailer of the Year. Supermarket News also recently awarded Wakefern the 2013 Technology Excellence Award. For
more information, please visit www.Wakefern.com.