Weis Markets and its associates continued to make steady progress toward reducing the company’s overall environmental impact in 2019. Since 2008, the company has reduced its overall greenhouse emissions 27 percent compared to 2008, the year it set sustainability benchmarks, on track to far exceed its goal of a 20 percent reduction by 2020.
This progress is highlighted in the company’s 2019 Sustainability Report: Weis By Nature. The report details the company’s sustainability progress in 2019, including a continued implementation of innovative measures to reduce truck fleet fuel consumption, increase facility energy efficiencies, reduce refrigerant emissions and divert waste from landfills.
“Today, our associates are working to operate efficiently by conserving energy and reducing waste—an area of particular importance for us at a time when one-third of all food is thrown away,” said Weis Markets Chairman and CEO Jonathan Weis. “Our overall goal is steady, measurable progress. We will continue to invest in our sustainability program in 2020 and work to reduce our overall environmental impact in the communities we serve.”
Key Weis Markets sustainability achievements in 2019 include:
- Diverting 38,950 tons of waste from landfills (nearly three times the weight of the Brooklyn Bridge). This total includes:
- The donation of more than 860 tons of products to local food banks through the company’s expanding partnership with Feeding America. The donations are a key component of its commitment as a U.S. Food Loss & Waste 2030 Champion.
- The repurposing of 1,360 tons of food waste to rationed cattle feed.
- Earning Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) GreenChill program recognition for outstanding refrigerant management in 11 stores. The program encourages reducing refrigerant usage to address environmental impacts on the ozone layer and climate.
- Achieving a company record low refrigerant leak rate of 7.2 % (GreenChill partner average was 14.3%).
- Recycling 28,651 tons of cardboard and paper and 897 tons of plastic bags.
- Converting 27 stores from fluorescent to LED lighting, annually reducing electricity consumption by 300,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per store.
Weis Markets 2019 Sustainability Report: Weis By Nature is available at weismarkets.com/sustainability
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About Weis Markets Founded in 1912, Weis Markets, Inc. is a Mid Atlantic food retailer operating 197 stores in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Virginia and West Virginia. For more information, please visit: WeisMarkets.com or Facebook.com/WeisMarkets.
