Retailers are increasingly aware of the need to run environmentally-friendly stores - not just to keep customers happy, but to reduce costs. Significant savings can be achieved via reductions in energy and water use, as well as via the raw materials used for building. Sainsbury's and Wal-Mart have already opened state-of-the-art environmentally-friendly stores; others look set to follow suit.
Elsevier Food International, Vol. 4, Number 3, September 2001
Vincent Hentzepeter

When looking at the international food retailing area, it's clear that some key environmental issues are quietly rising to the top of the agenda. Front runners like J. Sainsbury, Wal-Mart and Royal Ahold want to convince the public that they have embraced the environment as a corner stone of their overall strategy. Their websites offer several environmental links that give extensive information about the 'green' steps that they've already taken. After all, what's good for the environment is good for the company image. And while the majority of retailers have chosen not to hit the headlines over environmental issues, the 'green' angle is one that they can't afford to ignore. For any improvements to be made environmentally at in-store level - savings on lighting, heating, refrigeration and so on - won't just enhance their reputations with consumers, they also have the potential to offer major benefits to the bottom line.

Low energy supermarket

Skulight allow natural light to flood the Sainsbury's store in Greenwich, London, while passive ventilation cut the nned for expensive, intensive air-conditioning.

As part of its environmental policy J.Sainsbury states, "Our aim is to reduce the impact [on the environment] of our own organisation through a programme of continuous improvement." Consequently, the British retailer monitors all environmental aspects of its business, including new projects. An environmental management system is currently being developed for all companies within J Sainsbury. Its main priorities are to reduce the effects of its products, and of carbon dioxide and waste on the environment.
Sainsbury's low energy supermarket at Greenwich (London), UK, which opened in September 1999, has set a new standard in 'green' retailing. The store's innovative architecture aims to reduce energy levels by about fifty per cent, using a variety of techniques including solar and wind power, as well as natural ventilation and lighting.
The key design features are passive ventilation to cut out the need for energy-intensive air conditioning, natural light in the sales areas, heat reclaimed from refrigeration systems, wind turbines, store signs powered by solar panels and the use of recycled rainwater for irrigation. Most of the energy, however, is still recovered in a conventional way - the wind turbines and solar-powered cells are only a test bed to explore the use of renewable energy sources. The power that these generate is saved in batteries and then used to light store signs at night.
The savings made via the water management system, though, are even more impressive. Run-off water is treated to remove impurities and then passed through the store's own natural reed bed for a final clean-up. This water is then stored in a pond behind the store and used not only for in-store operations, but to water the grass, shrubs and trees around the store during the drier summer months.

Global policy
At Sainsbury's, optimising the environmental aspects of in-store operations is part of a total business plan. Like the Dutch Royal Ahold company, the British retailer is pursuing an integral 'green' strategy in which the entire chain, from supplier to customer, is involved. Of course, such steps have to be affordable to be realistic - both J. Sainsbury and Royal Ahold have integrated environmental objectives into their relevant business plans in a cost-efficient manner. Ahold's corporate environmental strategy is based on local decision-making and global exchange of know-how - according to the food retailer, this is the best way to improve environmental performance, increase efficiency and reduce costs. Its top environmental priorities are to cut down on energy usage in its stores and operations and to provide more efficient refrigeration, waste disposal and packaging systems. Cleaner transport and the prevention of water pollution are its other priorities.

Radical changes
Throughout Ahold stores, the upgrading of specific energy-consuming components is taking place on a large scale, with cost control being one of the key governing factors. However, in spite of increases in the efficiency of individual components, total energy consumption in Ahold stores around the world continues to rise. And the reason for this? Energy savings are offset by a sharp increase in overall energy consumption. The move towards increasing numbers of fresh products and in-store bakeries, freshly prepared meals, longer shopping hours, and bigger stores is largely responsible for this. Ahold has therefore concl uded that radical design changes are needed if its total in-store evergy consumption is to be reduced. Fundamental store redesign projects in both the US and the Netherlands have set high targets for reducing energy use. This has forced the design teams - together with suppliers - to look afresh at the whole store, and the inter-relationships between lighting, refrigeration, heating and cooling systems. It will not be easy to meet the ambitious targets that Ahold has set itself. Albert Heijn, the leading Dutch supermarket, has reached an agreement with the government to improve energy efficiency by 32 per cent, and to use at least five per cent sustainable energy by 2010 (in relation to energy usage figures for 1995). At the same time the Tops Markets in the US have been scheduled to reduce same-store energy expenditure by ten per cent in 2000.
The Giant-Landover supermarkets have launched a contest at store level as an impetus to cutting energy use over the next few years. Each month, the store within each district that has achieved the greatest reduction in energy levels is rewarded. According to Ahold, the initial response to the programme has been positive.

Wal-Mart's test-tube
Wal-Mart is among the environmentally-friendly front-runners. Since the mid-1990s, the retail giant has created environmentally friendly flagship stores in Lawrence, Kansas, Moore, Oklahoma and most recently in the City of Industry, close to EI Monte California. The three stores serve as 'test tubes' for the use of environmentally-friendly building materials, and as chance to experiment with various methods of conserving energy and water. The Californian 'Eco: supermarket incorporates all the best features of the other two 'Eco Stores'. Inside, Wal-Mart attempts to educate the public on the benefits to be had from energy efficient technology, and on the importance of environmental issues. The store has 180 high performance skylights on its roof, allowing natural light to flood the building. Photo sensors continuously measure the amount of daylight entering the store, and adjust the light fixtures so that only the necessary amount of electrical light is used. Besides cost-saving lighting, the store also uses non-ozone-depleting refrigeration, and incorporates sustainable and renewable materials wherever possible. Furthermore, the store site features three electric-car-charging stations within its car park.

Prudent and attractive
Again, economical rather than ecological motives have been the key driving force behind the new, environmentally friendly techniques. For instance, Wal-Mart's new lighting design strategy is intended to increase sales and decrease operating costs. At the same time, it also aims to reinforce the image of the store as somewhere that cuts overheads in order to offer more competitive pricing to its customers. Numerous large skylights enhance the visual environment, providing natural light without glare (the fluorescent lights are automatically dimmed as daylight increases). Energy used in lighting is thus reduced by 47 per cent, and total energy consumption has dropped by 49 per cent compared to typical Californian energy standards for a 24-hour operation. The system is expected to start paying for itself in less than three and a half years.