Brookshire Grocery Co. Green Initiatives Bearing Fruit

Brookshire Grocery Co. (BGC) is seeing record results from its “Let’s Go Green Together” recycling campaign, launched in October 2008 at the start of the company’s fiscal year with the introduction of new recycling and conservation efforts throughout the company and to customers.

“We have always been an environmentally conscious company,” said Greg Nordyke, SVP of corporate development for Tyler, Texas-based BGC. “Now we are actively promoting recycling and conservation initiatives in all aspects of the company. We are all working hard to find ways to be sustainable, and we are proud to offer these steps to our customers and employees.”

Since the campaign’s start, paper and plastic totals have already met or surpassed those of the previous year. That increase is due, in part, to newly installed recycling bins placed at each store’s entrance and in office and manufacturing facilities, according to the retailer. Customers and employees are encouraged to recycle their plastic bags and bottles. BGC is one of the first grocery retailers in the area to accept polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles for recycling. The company’s executive committee has also encouraged employees to use less paper, which has resulted in a decrease in office paper use for the first time in BGC history.

In addition, BGC customers are given a five-cent discount on their grocery bills for each reusable bag they bring in. Other promotions to encourage the use of these durable bags are being developed.

Further green initiatives include energy-efficient lighting and cooling in all stores, offices and manufacturing facilities, including auto shut-off lighting and skylights.

Additionally, the company’s 71-truck fleet has implemented new procedures to improve efficiencies in the way product is delivered to stores, and BGC is experimenting with super-single tires that conserve fuel and reduce the weight of the truck and trailer. Tests are also being conducted using nitrogen for tire inflation to reduce heat buildup as the tire travels. Other logistics initiatives include a maximum speed for trucks, experimentation with aerodynamic fins for trailers, reduction of delivery frequency when possible, using the pin-wheeling truck-loading method to increase capacity, and the introduction of hybrid cars for high-mileage drivers. BGC also joined the EPA’s SmartWay Transport Program to achieve the company’s environmental and fuel efficiency goals within three years.

BGC operates stores in Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Mississippi, as well as three distribution centers and seven manufacturing facilities.
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