Having been a solution provider to virtually every industry on earth, I have come to recognize that the grocery industry as a whole is relatively conservative. New technologies, solutions, and business models are simply not embraced and adopted overnight. And frankly, until recently, I believed the same could be said about sustainability (see recent blog post). So I was pleasantly surprised during last week’s Food Marketing Institute Sustainability Summit to see the strides that grocers are making towards more sustainable operations.
Yes, it’s easy to find grocery chains with new LEED buildings, improved lighting and more efficient refrigeration. But what is truly heartening is the extent to which real progress is being made among the products on store shelves. Many grocers are looking to expand their selection of organics, some with private label offerings. And many are taking a hard look at their sourcing policies in important areas like sustainable seafood practices. Futhermore, several leading grocers are helping their customers understand which products are environmentally preferable through shelf tags. In my view, more responsible sourcing combined with improved customer education are critical steps towards enabling more responsible consumerism.
Another area of increasing activity among grocers is around the “bag issue”. Based on at least 30 conversations that I had with grocers during the Sustainability Summit, it’s clear that grocers realize that they need to go beyond providing a discount for use of reusable bags. Nearly every grocer has a committee looking at new programs that they can put in place to significantly impact the use of reusable bags at their stores.
Clearly, leaders in the grocery industry have begun to recognize that their responsibility extends to the products on their shelves and the buying behaviors of their customers. With this new mindset, we can expect great strides to be made by the grocery industry over the coming months and years.
