These are 5 things ShopRite is doing toward sustainability

Several national and regional grocery retailers are finding more ways to push the needle further toward environmental sustainability, and ShopRite is no exception.

For more than 40 years, ShopRite has worked on initiatives that reduce food waste, bolster recycling, protect wildlife and protect the environment, according to a news release.

ShopRite is the registered trademark of Wakefern Food Corp., a retailer-owned cooperative based in Keasbey, N.J. with hundreds of supermarkets in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Delaware and Maryland.

Hear a chat about how the Cingari Family of Shoprite stores is powering part of a town with its food waste, in the "Tip of the Iceberg" podcast.

These are five specific areas of the retailer’s sustainability and conservation efforts:

1. Tree planting

ShopRite works closely with One Tree Planted by helping plant 25,000 saplings in areas where stores operate, and supports the nonprofit's mission to plant local, native tree species in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Delaware and Maryland.

2. America’s Grow-a-Row impact partner

ShopRite supports America’s Grow-a-Row’s mission to help people in need through volunteer efforts of planting, picking, rescuing and delivering free fresh produce. ShopRite was recognized as a 2022 Impact Partner, helping through financial support and in the fields as volunteers.

3. Reducing food waste

ShopRite donates food and composts inedible food as two ways to reduce waste. Stores donate more than 5,000 tons of fresh food annually and have successfully diverted nearly 20,000 tons of food waste from landfills in 2020.

4. Recycling

ShopRite has recycled more than 2.6 million tons of materials since creating its own recycling facility in the late 1970s. All ShopRite stores today have dedicated recycling bins and a renewed focus on Own Brand products. Many Own Brand items, including Paperbird home-cleaning products and Bowl & Basket food and beverage products, feature a How2Recycle label developed by the Sustainable Packaging Coalition.

5. Green teams

Each year, many ShopRite stores participate in community and in-store cleanup efforts on Earth Day and beyond. More than 55,000 volunteers have participated in Earth Day Challenge-community cleanups in the last decade.

Related news: ShopRite ranks as No. 1 trusted supermarket in the Northeast