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WAKEFERN/SHOPRITE RETAIL SUSTAINABILITY AWARD
(L-R) Israel Pear, operations manager, with Angel Zamora, logistics operations senior chief supervisor, at Wakefern's 225,000 square foot distribution center in Elizabeth, NJ, which handles all produce, floral and seafood processing, supplemented by a nearby banana ripening operation. A second DC in Newark, NJ streamlines efficiency.
rate, members and customers. Our whole co-op is based on relationships. It’s all about making every member successful. It’s the fabric of who we are.”
Growing sustainably is a part of that. “Our sustainability program enables all of us, from the associate bagging groceries or cutting vegetables to the store manager, to have a purpose. I can do something bigger that my company believes in and make a difference,” he says. “We have a great foundation of associates that really believe
in volunteerism. They want to make their stores and communities better.”
Green Teams
Green Teams are part of a company-wide collaborate strategy at both the retail and corporate levels, drawing in volunteers from all departments and job positions to seek out opportunities to bring to corporate, and generate thoughtful sustainability solutions.
“Green Teams (started at Wakefern within the past five years) are a cornerstone
of Wakefern/ShopRite sustainability,” says Colalillo. They represent a philosophy. It’s no different than customers giving feed- back,” he says. “We can talk about recycling cardboard bales and larger programs that will be top-driven, but Green Teams are about those people throughout the company getting the ideas, and about how to capitalize on those ideas.”
Green Teams are a mechanism to encourage participation and empower employees, he continues, noting that Green Team members are all volunteers. The Environmental Affairs Department has tools for them to use.
Colalillo has hundreds of people working for him, and Green Teams provide a way for them to have a voice. “These associates work hard; it’s a labor- intensive business and not easy,” he says. “Green Teams are not just contributing to the welfare of the company and customers but also to the community and the Earth.”
The Kinsley family of Kinsley's Market, which owns and operates ShopRite of Brodheadville, wins an EPA Green Chill Award.
Wakefern runs a company-wide recycling program, where members collect all types of materials, including cardboard, wooden pallets, plastic bags, floral buckets, and food packaging across departments to funnel back to Wakefern, which manages the process.
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