Sprouts Achieves Sustainability Milestone

Six Sprouts Farmers Market stores in Florida have been awarded Manomet’s Grocery Stewardship Certification (GSC), bringing the total number of Sprouts stores in the GSC to 90. The certification recognizes Phoenix, Ariz.-based Sprouts’ commitment to operational best practices that reduce a store’s environmental impact, reduce operating costs and save resources.

“Sprouts Farmers Market takes sustainability seriously,” said Peter Cooke, director of Retail Sustainability for Manomet in a statement. “Sprouts believes in being a good neighbor in the communities they serve. By reducing their impact on the planet and operating more efficiently, they are showing that they value both their employees and their customers.”

Manomet of Plymouth, Mass., provides GCS-participating independent grocers and grocery chains with data about costs saved through operational sustainability efforts; revenue-generating sustainability opportunities; employee engagement strategies; and metrics on waste, water, energy and other conservation initiatives.

It pays to be sustainable. As a result of sustainable operating practices, the six Sprouts stores in Florida enrolled in the GSC are annually saving more than $376,000 (an average of $61,000 per store); more than 420 tons of food waste from going to landfills; and more than 2 million gallons of water. Additionally, the stores will prevent the release of more than 4,600 metric tons of greenhouse gases each year.

Photograph courtesy of Manomet

“As we continue to grow and expand across the country, Manomet’s Grocery Stewardship Certification has allowed us to measure the social, environmental and financial impact of our sustainability initiatives in our store operations,” Carlos Rojas, VP of sustainability for Sprouts, said in a release. “From waste and energy reduction to operational efficiencies, this information has allowed us to be more strategic in how we create positive impact in our communities and bottom line.”

Since launching in 2012, the GSC has enrolled more than 1,000 grocery stores in the United States and Canada. The GSC works with grocers to engage employees on operational sustainability strategies and to review store-level practices and equipment with an eye to increasing energy efficiency, boosting revenue and lowering costs.

While there are a number of programs that focus on high-performance buildings, Manomet says its GSC program is the only certification program to expand into employee practices and procedures to engage all stores within a chain. To learn more about the Grocery Stewardship Certification program, visit grocerycert.org.