CorpComms Magazine

Sainsbury's has pledged to plant two million trees as part of the supermarket's 2010 corporate responsibility agenda.

The sustainabili-tree strategy looks to lessen Sainsbury's carbon footprint by planting new trees, replacing trees used for timber in accordance with Forest Stewardship Council targets, ensuring palm oil conversions meet the standards set by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (with a commitment to using only certified sustainable palm oil in its own-brand products by 2014), and conserving raw materials by reducing the amount of packaging used in supermarket produce (aiming to slash it by a third by 2015, against a 2009 baseline) and increasing recycling initiatives.

The planting will draw together a variety of Sainsbury's environmental and social responsibility initiatives. The majority of the trees will be planted with the Woodland Trust, the UK's leading woodland conservation charity and an environmental partner of the supermarket chain, using money raised from the sale of Woodland chicken and eggs. Though the report does not specify which funds will be used first. Schools from across the UK will help to plant the trees through Sainsbury's Active Kids scheme.

To engage children in sustainable living, Sainsbury's built a tree house store in Hainault Forest, where employees showcased a variety products, such as FSC Toilet roll, apples & pears, digestive biscuits and Woodland Eggs, to demonstrate to local primary schools how many of the everyday products they use come from sustainable tree sources.

Justin King, chief executive of Sainsbury's, said: 'Trees are at the centre of our food chain, so if we are to continue selling food of the variety and quality that we do, it is vital that we think long-term and protect a key raw material.

'We feel that we have led the way in this regard through our Woodland initiative on eggs, chicken and now turkey, our commitment to FSC certified products as well as our leadership in sourcing certified sustainable palm oil.

'This new strategy will help us to focus on trees as a single issue and ensure that we remain industry leaders in preserving the UK and the world's forests for future generations.'

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