Montreal, April 22nd, 2008 – In honor of Earth Day, METRO is launching its Leave it greener campaign throughout its network of supermarkets. The goal of this environmental communication program is to promote principles and values that encourage responsible behavior. From now on, customers shopping in Metro, Metro Plus, Super C and Marché Richelieu supermarkets will notice display cards highlighting eco-friendly products in many aisles.

The cards, designed with a “Did you know that…” format, will attract customers’ attention to eco-friendly products such as phosphate-free laundry detergents, concentrated formulas requiring less packaging and products made with 100% recycled material.

The “Leave it greener” program was initially intended to encourage METRO employees to adopt responsible consuming habits. Each employee was given a reusable cup for his or her daily beverage. This was an important action for the environment since one styrofoam cup takes more than 400 years to biodegrade.

“Such initiatives are important to us. As a company, we have to act responsibly towards the environment. On the other hand, our customers want to be better informed about what they can do, so that they can, in turn, adopt a more eco-friendly behavior”, indicates Serge Boulanger, Vice-President, Marketing, METRO.

The program is offered throughout METRO’s network of supermarkets, both in Québec and in Ontario. 

Here is what METRO is already doing to protect the environment: 

• METRO was the first food retailer to offer its customers a reusable shopping bag. In May 2007, the company was awarded the Phénix de l’environnement for this initiative, in the Residual Matter Management category.
• Since they were launched in January 2006, more than two million reusable bags have been sold in Metro, Metro Plus, Super C and Marché Richelieu supermarkets, where they have become hugely popular with customers. 
• The Metro circular is now printed with vegetable ink on paper made of 100% recycled wood and paper waste. 
• METRO trucks must now travel at a speed no greater than 90 km/h, which contributes to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. 
• Out stores and warehouses systematically recycle packaging boxes, recuperating close to 25,000 metric tons of cardboard each year. The same is done with plastic wrappers.
  

METRO INC.
With annual sales of nearly $11 billion and over 65,000 employees, METRO INC. is a leader in the food and pharmaceutical sectors in Quebec and Ontario, where it operates a network of close to 600 food stores under the Metro, Metro Plus, Super C, A&P, Dominion, Loeb and Food Basics banners as well as over 250 pharmacies under the Brunet, Clini Plus, The Pharmacy and Drug Basics banners.


Visuals for this program are available on request. Please contact the undersigned for an electronic copy.




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Source: METRO INC.
Information: Josée Lessard, Communication Advisor
(514) 643-1000 extension 2579

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