Here are the Top 5 ESG stories of 2022

As 2022 comes to a close, we wanted to look back on some of the top stories of the year. This year marked some transformational changes - not only in the bold commitments we’ve made(spoiler – there were some BIG ones!), but also in how we talk about ESG and integrate it into everything we do. 

You may be wondering – what does ESG even mean? 

ESG stands for Environmental, Social and Governance. It is an evaluation approach used by investors to measure a company’s performance in these three areas. It is also referred to as social responsibility, ethical investing, or impact investing.  

In the spring, we released our 2021 ESG Report, which replaced the previously titled Corporate Social Responsibility(CSR) Report. Although it may seem that we just replaced one acronym with another, ESG better encompasses the work Loblaw is doing to help Canadians Live Life Well by advancing our two purpose led pillars: 1) fighting climate change and 2) advancing social equity.  

 Here are the top five ESG stories of 2022:   

1. Wow! You raised $1.86 million celebrates the results of the 2022 Spring Feeding Hungry Minds Campaign. Loblaw colleagues raised $1.86 million in-store to support President's Choice Children's Charity's goal to feed 1 million kids a year by 2025. The post also featured a video starring some of the children who participate in President’s Choice Children’s Charity’s Power Full Kids^TM program. 

2. How Cynthia’s store diverts food from landfill tells the empowering story of Store Manager, Cynthia Dawson, and Assistant Manager, Luke Edgar-Robertson, from Zehrs Owen Sound. Through working with Second Harvest and its online platform Second Harvest food rescue app, Zehrs was able to provide more than 100,000 meals during the pandemic. This story showcases how our commitment to reduce food waste across our operations with a target of zero food waste to landfill by the end of  to feed more families with the help of partners like Second Harvest and Food Banks Canada.  

3. James helps reduce plastic waste shows us how simple solutions can help us to eliminate plastic waste before it’s even created. Our Shoppers Drug Mart pharmacy central fill centres were able to reduce plastic waste by working with external suppliers to swap the bulk pill bottles, which held 250 tablets, to one that holds 2,000, saving the equivalent of 17,000 plastic bottles a year! 

4. Lauren and Kevin recycle their old shirts giving them a new life as they’re transformed into stuffing for dog beds, home furnishings, and insulation. The T-shirt recycling program is available in select Real Canadian Superstore locations and is likely to expand in 2023. 

5. 5 things to know about the ESG report is a fitting way to wrap up this top five of 2022. As mentioned above, we’re focused on fighting climate change and advancing social equity. To fight climate change, we’ve committed to send zero food waste to landfill by 2030; make our control-brand packaging either reusable or recyclable by 2025; and achieve net zero carbon by 2040.

Advancing social equity takes many forms, including reaching representation goals for our management, executives and Board of Directors, continuing to support President’s Choice Children’s Charity in their efforts to feed 1 Million kids, Supporting women’s health through LOVE YOU by Shoppers Drug Mart^TM program. If you haven’t already, we really encourage you to read the 2021 ESG Report(Open in a new tab) to learn more about our ongoing commitments.