Joy Frierson
Nova Southeastern University H. Wayne Huizenga College of Business and Entrepreneurship
Guenola Nonet
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Publix Super Market has established a practice that is referred to as the “Green Routine” that focuses on sustainability through energy conservation, recycling, water reduction and the conservation of natural resources. This way of conducting business has been deeply rooted into their employee-owned company culture and corporate strategy along with efforts that offer care and concern to the community, the environment, and the planet.
The Green Routine has been implemented into the company business model to reduce the impact of the footprint the company makes while conducting business.
This innovation came about because the company wanted to be more environmentally responsible as Florida’s largest employer. Incorporated into this practice was the goal of making environmental responsibility contagious to their employees, increasing their awareness of their consumption habits at work and at home. Hopefully these ideas would also transfer to their family members.
Leadership incorporated the Green Routine into their business model by creating a corporate sustainability statement that would be echoed company wide.
Mrs. Moore, a store manager, stated that “Publix supermarkets do their very best to remain innovative in every facet of their business operations by continuously evaluating the current measures in place and looking for better ways to make those processes more efficient across the board to benefit the people, environment, and the organization.”
Publix’s business model focuses on the ability of the organization to balance what is essential to humanity with meeting the needs of the earth. This creates a net positive impact by building competencies through their sustainability practices and measuring their results against triple bottom line goals (people, profit and planet).
Waste intolerance and the preservation of our current and future community and environment was the main driver for implementing The Green Routine into the business model. George Jenkins, affectionately known as Mr. George, founded Publix in the midst of the Great Depression. His early experience made the idea of conserving resources and reducing waste a natural business principle. Publix Market is now one of the largest employee owned businesses in America and continues Mr. George’s commitment to following sustainable practices to this day. The company’s success depends upon sustaining the environment, treating people right and making a positive contribution to the community. Modifying ordering practices, recycling, energy conservation, and finding alternative uses for their products through donations to feed the hungry, disposal through organic composting, and utilizing food scraps for animal feed has played a vital and valuable role in the Green Routine.
Publix has found multiple ways to use less while still having the capability to operate efficiently along with causing less impact on the environment.
The program has helped us reduce company wide electricity usage by 9.6 percent in existing stores and by 23 percent in new store designs. (http://sustainability.publix.com)
Through Get Into a Green Routine® and other conservation projects like lighting and refrigeration improvements, Publix saved over 1 billion kilowatt hours which equals a reduction of more than 760,000 tons of greenhouse gas (carbon dioxide) and enough kilowatt hours to power 84,000 homes for a year (assuming the typical home uses 1,000 kWh a month for a year). (http://sustainability.publix.com)
In addition Mrs. Moore stated, “We are constantly making improvements to cut back on the use of water through water conservation efforts company-wide which helps to preserve one of the earth’s natural resources.”
Measuring their business using the triple bottom line has helped the employee owned Publix Super Markets to grow to over 1000 locations with 2014 sales of 30.6 billion dollars. They rank 104 in the Fortune Magazine 500 and are listed as one of the top 100 places to work in America.
This demonstrates the value of how a socially and environmentally responsible corporation can establish influence and position within the economy and an ability to thrive now and in the future.
Publix has proved its viability through utilizing solar energy, recycling, feeding America, product sourcing, efficient transportation, selling reusable bags, and educating employees and the community. By continuing these actions they will continue to add value to the triple bottom line.
By setting goals and measuring activities that produce greenhouse gases from electricity and fuel use, Publix has reduced energy consumption by 35% along with reducing water and fuel consumption. Publix's company wide recycling rate is 51 percent, and they are actively working to raise it even higher. In 2013, 230,000 tons of cardboard and wax cardboard, 4,000 tons of mixed paper, and 8,800 tons of low-density polyethylene and mixed plastic were recycled resulting in saving:
Additionally, Publix has served local communities by providing nutritional meals by recognizing the increasing demand for emergency food assistance. Over a five year period there has been 115 million pounds of food provided to reduce the need. (http://sustainability.publix.com)
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Sanethia Moore, Store Manager
