Sustainability at ShopRite

Wakefern's Animal Welfare & Care Program extends to 10 different species. We work with our vendors to ensure that our brands are sourced from suppliers who meet our animal welfare standards and promote the humane treatment of animals at all times. We require our suppliers to follow strict policies when it comes to the humane treatment of animals. Our guiding principles, standards, & audit program address animal care from housing to harvest & are based on the following 5 basic freedoms: freedom from hunger & thirst, freedom from discomfort, freedom from pain, freedom from Iinjury or disease, freedom to express most normal behaviors & distress

We are a proud member of the Sustainable Packaging Coalition, a leading voice and collaborative for sustainable packaging. Through our membership, we are able to share best practices and emerging research in this space, which has helped us refine our approach to include three key areas of focus: Responsible Sourcing, Design Optimization, Design for Recovery

In the early 1980s, we opened our very own materials recovery facility in Elizabeth, NJ. Since its inception, our facility has recycled over 3.1 million tons of material. Our warehouses, offices and banner stores recycle over 128,000 tons of material annually including cardboard, metal, paper, plastic film & rigid plastics.

ShopRite helps customers in their efforts to live sustainably by providing EV charging stations for customers while they make their weekly grocery store runs.

The ShopRite of Brodheadsville flipped the switch on 4,300 solar panels. The 10-acre solar array is located next to the store in Brodheadsville, Pa., and is designed to supply nearly 90 percent of the store’s energy. The Kinsley family, owners and operators of the ShopRite of Brodheadsville, invested in solar power to help reduce electricity costs as well as limit the store’s environmental footprint. Brodheadsville joins several other ShopRite stores in the switch to solar. The following store locations also use renewable energy sourced from solar: Bayonne, Brooklawn, Carteret, Clinton, Elmsford, Emerson, English Creek, Forest Hill, Garwood, Gateway, Greenwich, Jersey City, Lawnside, Passaic, Selden & Wharton. 

More ShopRite stores are using natural refrigerants that are a sustainable alternative by decreasing energy consumption, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions from refrigerant leaks.

Cingari Family Markets & Kinsley Market have been awarded The Shelby Report’s Exceptional Independent Grocer Award for the second year in a row. Cingari Family Markets, the family-owned & operated Connecticut-based supermarket company, owns 10 ShopRite supermarkets & two specialty markets – also named Cingari Family Markets. The Cingaris were recognized for their commitment to sustainability & community. The renovated stores incorporate eco-friendly cases & lighting & stores are reducing waste in innovative ways, including composting organic material – compost that is converted to energy to power local homes & businesses. The company also focuses on inventory management & food donations to reduce its waste stream by more than 60 percent.

The Kinsley family, operators of the ShopRite of Brodheadsville in Brodheadsville, Pa., have shared a commitment to their neighbors since the 1950s. Their store meets EPA GreenChill Gold standards for sustainable refrigeration, using only non-ozone-depleting refrigerants. Christopher Kinsley Sr., president of the ShopRite of Brodheadsville, has said the solar array and other green technologies at the store reaffirm a commitment to sustainability and are the right things to do for the community.

Every Earth Day, ShopRite associates partner with environmental nonprofits & local organizations in their communities for cleanups & events. Volunteers beautify their communities by participating in activities like cleaning up litter at parks & beaches, planting flowers in urban communities, & removing invasive species from native plants.