Publix, the Lakeland, Florida-headquartered supermarket operator that has long been recognized as a master merchandiser of frozen foods, on September 8 was honored with three awards from the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) GreenChill Partnership.
The chain earned the Store Certification Excellence award for achieving 26 GreenChill store certifications in the past year. Two Publix stores have obtained GreenChill Certification for five consecutive years and are being honored with the Store Re-Certification Excellence award.
“Sustainability is ingrained in our culture and achieved throughout our company every day by valuing our associates, serving our customers, enhancing our ties to the communities we serve and conserving natural resources,” said Maria Brous, Publix director of media and community relations. “We’re committed to reducing our carbon footprint and our dedication is reaffirmed with numerous store certifications in one year and our investment in more sustainable equipment including refrigeration systems.”
“Publix Super Markets has shown itself to be a leader in the GreenChill Store Certification Program. The company has achieved GreenChill certification for 26 stores in the past year, earning the Store Certification Excellence award,” said Tom Land, GreenChill program manager. “In addition, Publix locations in Suwanee, Georgia, and Winter Haven, Florida, have earned the Store Re-Certification Excellence award for achieving GreenChill certification for five consecutive years.”
GreenChill is an EPA partnership with food retailers to reduce refrigerant emissions and decrease their impact on the ozone layer. The goals of the partnership are to provide supermarkets and other industry stakeholders with information and assistance to:
- transition to environmentally friendlier refrigerants;
- reduce the amount of refrigerant used by stores and eliminate leaks; and
- adopt green refrigeration technologies and environmental best practices.
Publix is a founding partner of GreenChill (2007). The company has certified 26 stores in the past year, including 24 silver certifications and two gold certifications. To qualify for GreenChill’s Store Certification, a store must meet specific criteria including:
- The store must only use refrigerants with zero ozone-depleting potential;
- The store must only use refrigerants that have been found acceptable by EPA’s Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) Program for use in retail food.
- The store must achieve a store-wide annual refrigerant emissions rate of 15% or less.
- All newly constructed stores must also be leak tight at installation to prevent against future refrigerant leaks.
More information about EPA’s GreenChill Partnership can be found at www2.epa.gov/greenchill.
Publix is privately owned and operated by its 169,000 employees, with 2013 sales of $28.9 billion. Currently Publix has 1,078 stores in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina and North Carolina. The company has been named one of Fortune magazine’s “100 Best Companies to Work For in America” for 17 consecutive years.
