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PUBLIX SUPER MARKETS:
Subtle Sustainability
With Substance BY MIRA SLOTT
Talk is cheap and for some compa- nies, sustainability is being com- posted, compacted and recycled into a public relations buzzword polluted by smoke and mirrors.
Publix Super Markets, the private, employ- ee-owned, regional giant, which has shied away from the trade press over the years, prefers subtle sustainability grounded in sub- stance. More comfortable keeping business strategies close to the belt, the supermarket chain has been making a genuine difference with understated determination and purpose- ful momentum, long before sustainability and corporate social responsibility were hip and fashionable, and often cloaked in synthetic ethical and moral superiority.
Publix deserves this award for three signifi- cant reasons:
1) PUBLIX WITH PURPOSE
Top Down, Bottom Up: Exercising corpo- rate social responsibility within the communi- ty is a mantra engrained in the firm’s culture, a long-term commitment instilled by its CEO, Ed Crenshaw, and encouraged with incen- tivized employee buy-in.
Crenshaw’s grandfather and Publix founder, George Jenkins, had a saying — para- phrased here — that the company can be a lit- tle bit better place, or not quite as good, because of the associates of the company. “Years later, that still resonates. It’s in all our break rooms and it’s something that we very much live by,” explains Maria Brous, director of media and community relations. She should know. It’s her 19th year with Publix and she describes herself as a “Publix lifer.”
Valued voices are indeed resonating throughout. Publix generates a grassroots atmosphere of fresh, innovative ideas and inter-department, cross-functional teamwork at all levels. The process involves brainstorm- ing and debating the merits and costs of dif- ferent proposals, then testing and re-working platforms before slowly rolling them out to make sustainability a reality chain-wide.
An associate in the floral department came
up with a great idea to recycle floral buckets, conducting a little work study in her store. “We recycle several million of those buckets every year now,” says Michael Hewitt, manag- er, environmental services, noting, “If we had not pushed sustainability all the way down to the associate level, then those kinds of ideas would not be able to bubble back up.”
Hewitt, a second-generation Floridian and lifelong Publix customer, joined the company about three years ago to apply his expertise in environmental engineering and years working with various regulatory agencies and other pri- vate companies. “When I got to Publix, I was very excited because what I found was a cul- ture already in place. People were passionate about not just the basics of recycling and ener- gy conservation and water conservation, but really interested in doing the right thing and supporting the community.”
In talking about sustainability, sometimes the “people element” gets lost, Hewitt empha- sizes. “When Publix is looking for new talent — for that next generation that’s going to run the company — the message of sustainability is another way for us to reach out to that tal- ent pool,” he says. People want to be a part of something, to feel that their input counts. Hewitt continues, “Young people, especially coming out of college, are willing to take a job for less money if it’s with a company they believe in, that they admire, that they believe is doing the right thing.”
“We all have skin in the game,” says Brous. “This is a personal investment and commit- ment, and you’ll hear that throughout our company.” Once you’re on board, everybody’s in the same place with the same intensity and expectations. In an industry haunted by labor issues and employee turnover, the evidence speaks for itself: It is estimated that the firm spends an average of $6,000 in training of its associates within their first 30 days, and the majority of turnover happens within the first 90 days. Store managers average 25.4 years of service, she says, noting a district manager just received his 55th year service award; it’s not uncommon to see associates that are “lifers.”
Brous points out that Dave Duncan, vice president for facilities, likes to say Publix was green when it wasn’t cool to be green, leading the way in this effort since the 1970’s, whether driving early customer acceptance of reusable grocery bags and recycling efforts, or driving the first hybrid cars.
“We have one of the most environmentally friendly fleets, with over 170 light-duty hybrid vehicles,” says Hewitt. The benefit is not just fuel savings. It also helps reduce our carbon footprint and sends the right message. “Sus- tainability is not a destination, it’s a journey,” prophesizes Hewitt. “Sustainability is really a philosophy that’s been with Publix since the beginning, and it’s one that will continue for as long as Publix continues.”
The commitment to excellence in sustain- ability extends to its supplier partnerships. Publix demands high standards internally and expects the same of its produce suppliers, which it monitors and grades using vendor score cards. Brous acknowledges Publix is often viewed as a tough retailer. How sustain- ability fits into a firm’s operations in the con- text of its strategic vision is a decisive factor in the relationship’s viability.
Some produce partnerships remain solidly ensconced, after being sealed decades ago on a handshake. Brous explains, “There is defi- nitely a motivator for them to understand our business more. We tell them, ‘The better you perform at all of these criteria, the more we’re willing to sit at the table because we under- stand your commitment, and vice versa.” That commitment means a willingness to invest with Publix in more sustainable alternatives, such as wax-free packaging.
20 PRODUCE BUSINESS • MAY 2009