Kroger wins SEAL award for Zero Hunger, Zero Waste impact plan
The Kroger Co. has been named a 2023 SEAL Business Sustainability Awards winner in the Environmental Initiatives category.
The SEAL (Sustainability, Environmental Achievement and Leadership) Awards honor the organizations and leaders dedicated to making real progress on the most pressing issues of the time, including climate change and environmental challenges, according to a news release. Kroger received the honor in recognition of its signature Zero Hunger | Zero Waste impact plan.
"We are honored to receive the SEAL Award for Kroger's continued focus on creating a world free from hunger and waste," Mary Ellen Adcock, Kroger's senior vice president of operations, said in the release. "As our store and facility teams work to implement this vision and uplift the communities we serve, we appreciate the recognition of our progress and transparency."
In the first five years of the impact plan, Kroger and its associates achieved:
- $1.65 billion in giving to hunger relief, which includes 582 million pounds of surplus food donated, for a total of 2.9 billion meals directed to communities.
- $54.6 million in grants from the Zero Hunger | Zero Waste Foundation.
- $5.2 million in Innovation Fund grants for social entrepreneurs through the Zero Hunger | Zero Waste Foundation's signature program.
"We are especially honored to receive this recognition after working to deepen the integration of Zero Hunger | Zero Waste in our operations the last two years," Keith Dailey, Kroger's group vice president of corporate affairs and chief sustainability officer, said in the release. "Kroger's operators — from retail operations to merchandising and Our Brands leaders — are driving incredible progress against the company's ambitious goals through innovation and execution in stores and across the enterprise."
SEAL Award winners are determined by a holistic methodology that measures applicants against established benchmark metrics that demonstrate true impact and progress towards a healthy planet and a sustainable future, the release said.
