QUINCY, Mass. — Stop & Shop here announced last week that it joined the Environmental Protection Agency’s SmartWay Transport Partnership in a commitment to increasing the fuel efficiency of its trucking fleet. The chain, which includes Stop & Shop and Giant of Landover, Md., sees the initiative as a way to reduce its carbon footprint and lower operating costs. Companies participating in SmartWay analyze the efficiency of their fleets and set up goals for fuel savings and emissions reductions, using a variety of technology and procedural changes. Stop & Shop plans to pilot single-wide tires to reduce rolling resistance and automatic tire inflation systems, among other technologies. “Conserving energy and improving energy efficiency will allow us to lower operating costs, which in turn permits us to pass savings on to customers and to keep prices low,” said Jose Alvarez, chief executive officer of Stop & Shop and Giant, in a statement.

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