Sainsbury’s, the UK’s third largest supermarket chain, today unveiled a new £1 billion sustainability plan.
The plan, called the Sainsbury's 20 by 20 Sustainability Plan, outlines 20 sustainability targets to be achieved by 2020.
The commitments address four key areas: Sustainable and Healthy Products; Operational Excellence; Colleagues; and Communities. Planned initiatives include carbon-saving technologies for new and existing stores; an increased focus on providing customers with more British food as the company seeks to double the amount it currently sells; and a target to increase sales of fairly traded products to £1 billion.
Sainsbury’s said the industry-leading targets are intended to help shift everyday behaviour in favour of sustainability, while still providing customers with value and quality. It also said the initiative will help shoppers make more nutritious, sustainable and ethical purchasing decisions.
Commenting, Sainsbury's chief executive Justin King said: "Given the scale of our business, we believe these 20 commitments represent the most ambitious sustainability targets in our industry.
"If we are to meet the sustainability challenges that lie ahead, it is important that companies such as Sainsbury's invest in the future right now. We do not see this plan as a luxury, it is rather, an essential investment that will ensure we can continue to provide customers with quality food at fair prices, sustainably.
"This represents another step in helping our customers live well for less, following hot on the heels of our re-launch of by Sainsbury's and Brand Match. The 20 by 20 shows customers that they can indeed have greater quality at lower prices, without compromising on standards or their values."
The UK’s environment secretary Caroline Spelman said: "The food chain is of huge economic and environmental importance and supermarkets have already done a lot of good work which reflects this. People realise that good value food is about more than just price, even in difficult times such as these.
"More and more we're seeing that consumers want to know that their food has been produced to higher standards of welfare and sustainability, supports farming and rural communities, and generates as little excess packaging as possible - so I'm delighted that these priorities are at the heart of the 20 by 20 initiative."
Founded in 1869, Sainsbury’s today operates a total of 934 stores, comprising 557 supermarkets and 377 convenience stores.With a market share of over 16 per cent, the company serves more than 22 million customers a week and employs over 150,000 people.
