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one day you’ll see solar at every Publix.
Ken Whitacre: So, that continues to be a work in progress. It’s very much a laboratory- type of an environment.
Maria Brous: There are more hands over- all at all times on the GreenWise Markets just because it is such a laboratory. It gives us a controlled area to work with, so it does help us to try things, but we’re also very realistic. Our GreenWise stores are 39,000 square feet. A traditional Publix typically would range up to 61,000 square feet, so there are different things that we need to try in traditional stores, as opposed to a smaller-scale store.
When we acquired some of the Albertson’s locations late last year, some of them are as large as 74,000 square feet. It’s a whole differ- ent prototype. We’re very careful to under- stand the impact.
Some stores are as small as 27,000 square feet. Urban stores tend to be a whole other issue. We have stores with above-ground and underground parking and condominiums on top. There’s just an array of different stores that we go into. Our goal is to be able to go into any format or size store and maximize its potential. The ground up is definitely easier for us because we have a lot more say.
Our GreenWise Market in Palm Beach Gar- dens is LEED-certified and that became the buzz. People ask us all the time, “Will all your stores be LEED-certified?” Well, no, that’s unrealistic to look at a grocer with a 1,000- store footprint and ask us that, but we wanted to try things. We wanted to understand. We
hadn’t built a LEED-certified store before, so we needed to try to do that. What’s the eco- nomic impact? What’s the long-term affect of that? What’s the goal? We’re not going to do it simply to say it’s LEED-certified. How does that impact the customer? How does that impact us as a company? Are we being respon- sible stewards?
At the end of the day, we have stockholders we answer to, which is each one of us, in being able to be a financially viable company. But a company with a heart is probably the biggest form of praise that you can give us. It is our skin in the game. We have the commit- men, pride and ownership all tied into one.
INDUSTRY RELATIONS
Ken Whitacre: Does Publix participate in Fair Trade with bananas or coffee or anything like that?
Maria Brous: We have stayed out of Fair Trade. We believe that those are issues that need to be handled outside of our arena. We are not involved. We encourage the parties to come to the table and have those discussions andourjob,attheendoftheday,istobea responsible supplier to our customers, be an outlet. We do not engage in this regard. We are very respectful.
We don’t like anybody coming into our house telling us how to do business. We don’t go into other people’s and do that, but we do establish the relationships for the long-term. It’s not uncommon for you to go to our sup- pliers that we have worked with for 30, 40, some 50 years, and still remember Mr. George.
Ken Whitacre: There are many items that have to have certain certifications, such as GlobalGAP and ChileGAP, which actually have a sustainability or a corporate social responsi- bility element to them. I wanted to see what your philosophy is on that, if you look at that, if you are open to that, or if that’s something beyond the realm of what you really want to get involved in at this point?
Michael Hewitt: It is beyond what we are directly involved in right now. We might get into that arena somewhere down the road. As Maria said, we have very specific philosophies about Fair Trade and I don’t see that changing.
Mira Slott: Beyond Fair Trade, there has been this push for development of sustainability metrics for specialty crops and another initiative to create national standards for sustainability. There’s a debate about whether it’s desirable — or even possible — to have national standards for sustainability, even in terms of defining what sustainability is. Are you participating in those discussions?
Michael Hewitt: We’re not participating in those discussions on a national scale. My phi-
losophy of sustainability is that it is unique to every company. So, there is no one-size-fits-all for sustainability. What makes less sense to me is to try to come up with some national standard of sustainability and then hold everyone to it.
Sustainability really has a lot to do with company philosophy, who’s running the com- pany, and how engaged all of the employees are in that company. It’s very company-specific and it’s also very business-specific.
Sustainability would be implemented much differently for Publix than it would be for a shoe store or an electronics store, simply because our operations are very different. I like to think that our sustainability strategy is unique to Publix, not to say that it’s better than anyone else’s, but it works well for us.
Mira Slott: Well, it seems to be all encom- passing. You’re covering every aspect of sustain- ability and corporate social responsibility. It’s not where you have some narrow environmen- tal initiative, which is what someone might ini- tially think with the attention on your recy- clable strategies. After talking to you here for this amount of time, one can get a sense of how sustainability envelops your company in every- thing you do.
Michael Hewitt: You have to live it...you really do. For some people, they were living more sustainable at home and that has per- meated the workplace. In other cases, we find associates are learning more about sustain- ability at work and they’re taking that home with them. So, it works both ways.
And now, through our Web site and through other opportunities, we’re helping our customers apply sustainability at home, and we’re trying to provide our customers with buying options in our stores that would help them live a greener lifestyle at home.
Mira Slott: What advice could you give to produce industry companies that want to work with you and improve sustainability goals with- in their own companies?
Michael Hewitt: Well, I’d tell them to be engaged with Publix; we’re always talking to our various suppliers looking for opportuni- ties. Another avenue might be through various trade associations where we can band together and make big changes, rather than just a smaller, local change, which might be more Publix-specific.
I would encourage produce growers to think about, if not specifically try to calculate, their carbon footprint. Look at where their greenhouse gas emissions are coming from. Is it through fuel use or fertilizer use? Look for ways to reduce that impact and then look for ways to put that in front of customers. Find ways to present that message via the Internet
40 PRODUCE BUSINESS • MAY 2009


































































































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