Supervalu to boost Albertsons banner with zero-waste stores

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. — As part of its commitment to greener operations, Supervalu announced plans to transition 40 Albertsons banner stores to zero-waste operations before the end of the fiscal year on Feb. 29, 2012.

Last November, two Albertsons stores achieved zero-waste classification, which was highlighted in Supervalu's corporate responsibility report that was released Wednesday.

Zero-waste classification is achieved when stores divert at least 90% of all waste from landfills, Supervalu said.

"We are aggressively seeking ways to build on our sustainability achievements from this past year," said Andy Herring, Supervalu EVP real estate, market development and legal. "While this year's [corporate social responsibility] report captures some of the excitement we shared in being the first food retailer to achieve zero waste in the United States at two of our California stores, we truly believe this is the tip of the iceberg for us."

"Our commitment to significantly increase the number of zero-waste stores is part of a long-term strategy for Supervalu to be a leader in the area of environmental sustainability," Herring added. "At the same time, we are committed to these projects because we've also seen that they make a positive financial impact on our business — a true win-win."