Metro Green Apple School Program
To strengthen its commitment to the
environment and to reach its broader environmental and
sustainability goals, Metro launched in September 2009 its Metro
Green Apple School Program, an environmental initiative designed to
encourage elementary and secondary schools to participate in
conservation and healthy living. By investing up to $1 million into
the program in each province, Metro provides grants to Quebec and
Ontario schools that can demonstrate how their proposals will
positively impact their school or community.
Since its inception in 2009, Metro’s Green Apple School Program has enabled the completion of thousands of green projects in schools across Quebec and Ontario. Over the years, a wide variety of projects have been submitted, from earthworm composting to recycling, to tree planting and gardening.
School can register now by going to www.greenapplegrants.ca.
"Leave it greener" program
In order to promote the principles and values that foster
environmentally responsible behaviour, an environmental
communication program was launched in June 2007 for Metro
employees. Because it is easier said than done, we named the
campaign "Leave it greener."
The campaign features an eye catching visual, that is meant to be
simple to allow our actions to shine through.
In June 2007, the first step consisted in giving each of our
employees a reusable mug. Since a single styrofoam cup takes over
400 years to decompose, this simple decision had major
repercussions for the environment. A plastic, glass and metal
recycling program was then started in the offices where pickup was
available. Finally, in-house initiatives were created, such as
adding an environmental message to e-mail signatures, introducing
two-sided printers and starting a car pooling service.
The ball is in your court
On Earth Day, April 22, 2008, the "Leave it greener" program was
expanded to the entire company and to our network of supermarkets,
in order to promote environmentally responsible behaviour. Our
initiatives included using "Did you know…?" shelf cards in stores
to showcase products that are more environmentally friendly.
Since l 2009, Metro continues its efforts with the first "Leave it
greener" week in April in all its offices and buildings. This
initiative includes several awarness activities about waste
reduction in the workplace, climate change, etc.. Finally, "green"
information is often posted on the company''s intranet and in its
internal newsletter.
Info-bag: things you need to know
about choosing the right bag
When it comes to shopping bags, Recyc-Québec recommends taking
the following actions, in order of importance:
1. Reduce the number of bags used at the source
2. Encourage the use of reusable bags
3. Use conventional plastic bags
4. Use biodegradable bags
5. Use paper bags
Reducing at the source
Metro reusable
bag
In January 2006, Metro became the first food distributor in
Quebec to offer customers reusable bags for only $1. Metro stores
in Ontario followed suit in June 2006. The reusable bags help
reduce the number of plastic bags used, discarded or sent to
landfills. Our bag is made 100% from post-consumer recycled
materials and is 100% recyclable at the end of its useful life.
Even the two sets of handles are recyclable! Our bags don’t contain
lead and are washable in lukewarm water.
The relevance of Metro's initiative and the quality of its bag were
rewarded in 2007 with a Phénix environmental award in the
Management of Waste Materials category. This contest honours
remarkable actions taken by companies or institutions to protect
and sustain our natural environment. It is organized jointly by
Quebec's Ministère du Développement durable, de l’Environnement et
des Parcs, Ministère du Développement économique, de l’Innovation
et de l’Exportation, Recyc-Québec and the Fondation québécoise en
environnement.
On October 28th, 2009, Metro Inc. has taken another step toward
eliminating plastic bags by becoming the first Canadian food
retailer to offer reusable produce bags in all of its stores across
Quebec (Metro, Metro Plus, Super C and Marché Richelieu) and
Ontario (Metro). Arriving in stores by the end of November, the
reusable mesh bags will be available as an alternative to the rolls
of plastic bags currently found throughout the produce section.
Small change goes a long way
Metro is charging five cents per shopping bag in its Ontario and
Quebec stores since June 1, 2009.
This measure helped the company to reduce the use of these bags in
its stores and to surpass its objective of 50 per cent less bags
in-store by the end of 2010.
To strengthen its commitment to the environment and to reach its
broader environmental and sustainability goals, Metro launched in
September 2009 its Green Apple School Program, an environmental
initiative designed to encourage elementary and secondary schools
to participate in conservation and healthy living. By investing $1
million into the program in each province, Metro provides grants to
Quebec and Ontario schools that can demonstrate how their proposals
will positively impact their school or community.
Since it was introduced in the fall of 2009, the program has
rallied thousands of students from the four corners of both
provinces and encouraged them to become involved in their school
and make a difference in their community.
Voluntary Code of Good Practice for
the Use of Shopping Bags
Two years after the launch of its reusable bag, Metro made another
significant gesture by adhering to the Voluntary Code of Good
Practice for the Use of Shopping Bags. This code was adopted on
April 21, 2008, by the Association des détaillants en alimentation
du Québec, the Canadian Council of Grocery Distributors, the
Conseil québécois du commerce de détail, Recyc-Québec and Éco
Entreprises Québec. It aims to better manage the use of paper and
plastic shopping bags.
At Metro, the desire to reduce the number of bags means we:
- Encourage the use of bags suited to different purposes;
- Offer alternatives to bags, such as stickers and reusable plastic bags;
- Ask customers if they need a bag;
- Pack more items in each bag;
- Inform and educate customers about the source reduction, reuse,
recovery and recycling of conventional bags.
Metro applies this code in all of its stores across Quebec and Ontario.
Metro in Ontario
The Government of Ontario, along with the retail leaders, has
set a goal to reduce the use of conventional bags by 50% by
2012.
Another way that Metro is also reducing the amount of plastic being
sent to landfills is by offering a return-to-retail plastic bag
recycling programme. Customers are encouraged to return any plastic
shopping bag, regardless of whether the bag came from our store or
not, for recycling.
In the last two years, Metro has diverted over 433 metric tonnes of
plastic film from landfill as a result of our programmes and due to
the efforts of our customers and staff.
Energy use in Metro''s buildings
Carbon Disclosure Project
(CDP)
In 2008, Metro joined the ranks of other forward thinking
organizations committed to fighting climate change by responding to
the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) information request. The CDP is
an independent, non-profit organization whose mission is to foster
dialogue between investors and businesses, based on information
gathered annually from major international corporations, in order
to provide a rational response to the challenges of climate
change.
The CDP is an international organization that acts
as an intermediary between investors and businesses on issues
related to greenhouse gas emissions by major corporations.
This information request covers four main issues:
-
Metro administrators'' perception of the business risks and opportunities represented by climate change;
-
Greenhouse gas accounting;
-
Strategies implemented to reduce emissions, limit risks and benefit from business opportunities;
-
Inclusion of climate change issues into corporate governance strategies
Metro administrators'' perception of the
businesAgain in 2009, Metro answered the basic standards of the
CDP. We have provided investors with transparent data on the
business risks and opportunities of climate change, greenhouse gas
emissions in our warehouses as well as our adaptation
strategies.
Environmental Sustainability
Initiative (ESI)
Since September 2007, Metro has been involved in the Environmental
Sustainability Initiative (ESI). Spearheaded by the food
distribution industry, the initiative’s specific objective is to
account for the greenhouse emissions (in carbon dioxide equivalent)
of retail sales activities. This is an important step toward
collectively reducing the industry''s carbon footprint.
The calculator provided by the ESI enabled us to measure the carbon
footprint of each sector in our company. The locations that make up
our carbon footprint include our Metro supermarket franchises and
Super C discount stores in Quebec, and Metro supermarkets and Food
Basics discount stores in Ontario;
Several measures have already been implemented to
reduce our energy consumption, thereby decreasing our greenhouse
gas emissions.
In stores:
Refrigeration and heating account for more than half of a
supermarket''s total energy consumption. Our stores are equipped
with the following:
- High-efficiency motors to reduce energy consumption in refrigerated display cases;
- Systems to recover the heat generated by the refrigeration systems and redirect it to the sales area, warehouse and loading dock;
- Direct-expansion refrigeration equipment with the lowest cooling load on the North American market. Freon leaks are detected rapidly, which minimizes GG emissions.
- Central control panels to optimize energy consumption
In the
warehouses:
Our Quebec City fruit and vegetable warehouse was recently
renovated to include a glycol refrigeration system with a cooling
capacity equivalent to that of freon, which helps reduce GG
emissions
Metro tries to apply the 3Rs as much as possible at all its
facilities: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. With this in mind, the store
has created major programs to reduce waste; specifically, they
involve plastic wrap, cardboard, paper (in certain offices and
stores), PGM (plastic, glass, metal) and organic materials (in
certain stores).
For example, the cardboard recycling program collected close to 52
000 metric tons in 2009. That same year, close to 1,300 tons of
plastic wrap and 5,500 tons of organic materials were recovered. In
addition, Metro is constantly seeking solutions to reduce the
amount of waste sent to landfills.
Composting
A Quebec first: Bioreactor
composting in a grocery store
Metro Lussier, a Waterloo grocery store in Haute-Yamaska, is
breaking new ground and taking a green approach by installing a
bioreactor composting system.
Since December 2008, Metro Lussier has been making good use of its
waste by composting it rather than sending it to the
landfill.
Using only $50 worth of electricity per year, the bioreactor
composting system is also energy efficient.
Metro Lussier feeds its bioreactor all of its organic and
biodegradable waste.
ICI ON RECYCLE!
In 2007, Metro publicly committed to Recyc-Québec's "ICI on
Recycle" program, which aims to encourage industries, businesses,
and institutions to achieve the objectives set by Recyc-Québec for
each category of material. For example, the overall objective to
obtain level 3 certification (the highest level of recognition) is
80%.
Therefore, we've made sure that a number of our Quebec supermarkets
achieve one of the three levels of the "ICI on Recycle"
certification. Thirty stores have achieved a Level 1 certification
and 118 Level 2 certifications. Six Metro supermarkets and one
Super C have even achieved the third level of certification, thanks
to their excellent performance in reusing waste materials. They
are: Metro Gaétan Riendeau in St-Hyacinthe, Metro Plus St-Grégoire
in Bécancour, Metro Breton de Bromont, Metro Breton de Granby,
Metro Marché Gracefield de Gracefield and Super C Neufchatel.
Level 1 corresponds to a facility's commitment to be more aware of
the waste materials it generates and the Politique québécoise de
gestion des matières résiduelles 1998-2008. Accordingly, facilities
formally commit to implementing waste management measures,
according to the 3Rs, and to conveying this commitment to their
staff and customers.
Level 2 mainly aims to recognize facilities that have previously
implemented the 3Rs as well as information and awareness-raising
activities. This level of recognition was achieved through our
programs to recycle cardboard, plastic wrap and meat, oil and
grease residue, and though our numerous awareness-raising
efforts.
Level 3 aims to recognize facilities that have achieved an 80%
recovery rate of waste materials. In concrete terms, facilities
with this level of certification are recognized for having
implemented reduction, reuse, recycling and recovery measures for
waste materials covered by the Policy. They must also have
implemented waste management information and awareness-raising
activities.
