Hannaford Supermarkets is the first retail food chain in the country to use a new benchmarking tool to quantify its commitment to sustainability.
The Scarborough-based grocery chain is using the Grocery Stewardship Certification program designed by Manomet, a Massachusetts nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing sustainability practices, according to a release from the group.
Hannaford enrolled in Manomet’s GSC program four years ago to substantially reduce the environmental impacts of waste, water use, energy and greenhouse gas emissions of its stores. In 2014, it was able to identify more than $17 million in savings through its sustainability practices. By applying the benchmarking tool, it was able to identify a total savings of $23 million in 2015.
As a result of its sustainability practices, the company annually saves 78,000 tons of waste from going to landfills; nearly 97 million gallons of water from being used and
more than 261,000 tons of greenhouse gases from being released, according to the release.
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