Sainsbury's 20 X 20 Sustainability Plan

British retailer Sainsbury developed a sustainability plan formulated around their five corporate values.  These are:

1. Best for food and health
2. Sourcing with integrity
3. Respect for our environment
4. Making a positive difference to our community
5. A great place to work

Sainsbury has taken these five foundation values and turned them into 20 sustainability commitments and 100 delivery goals.  The goal is to achieve the 20 commitments by 2020.  The 20 commitments are grouped around the Triple Bottom Line (economic / environment / social) - - best for food and health; sourcing for integrity; respect for our environment; making a positive difference to our community; and a great place to work.

They have five commitments in the context of environmental sustainability.  These are:

1. We'll put all waste to positive use.
2. We'll make sure that our own packaging has been reduced by half compared to 2005.
3. We'll have reduced our operational carbon emissions by 30% absolute and 65% relative, compared with 2005.
4. Through robust water stewardship, we'll ensure that our supply chain approach is sustainable in areas of water vulnerability.
5. We'll have worked with our own brand suppliers to reduce carbon emissions across all of our own brand products by 50% relative.

Consider the new King's Lynn store that was opened in November 2012.  Sainsbury has made it a goal to use technology to ensure the environmental credentials of our stores and investing in "green" engineering skills.  This is what a new energy efficient store looks like:

• 40% energy comes from renewable generated on-site, with ground source heat pumps providing all the heat.
• 30% less heat because of natural wood insulation.
• 1,000 solar panels generating 5% of electricity.
• Water consumption reduced by 50% because of rainwater harvesting and water saving measures.

This is the link to the actual 20 X 20 plan.