Coop Norway reduced food waste by 9.4% year-on-year in 2022 by implementing a price reduction strategy, increasing donations, and changing its ordering routines.
The retailer made the announcement in its latest sustainability report, prepared in line with Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) reporting standards.
Philipp Engedal, CEO of Coop Norway said, "For a number of years, Coop has implemented a number of measures to reduce food waste, and discounting products with a short shelf life has proven to be very effective and popular.
"Other measures are not as visible, but just as important, such as automatic replenishment, better routines, better forecasting and better packaging for longer shelf life."
Food Waste Prevention
In 2022, Coop Norway tested a new concept for discounting, Matredder'n, in Coop Mega.
The campaign resulted in the sales of more than 100 tonnes of fruit and vegetables last year.
The retailer has rolled the concept in all its grocery chains this year.
Engedal added, "We sold more than NOK 1 billion worth of discounted goods in 2022 and, together with Too Good To Go, we sold 450,000 'surprise bags' of food with a short shelf life.
"This made us Norway's largest player in Too Good To Go in 2022, in addition to being the largest supplier to Food Centre Norway."
The retailer aims to reduce food waste by 30% by 2025 and by 50% by 2030.
Sustainability Report
Coop Norway's sustainability report provides a picture of where Coop stands today, while setting the course for Coop's sustainability targets, aligning with its strategy of 'a sustainable Coop'.
The retailer is on track to cut greenhouse gas emissions and achieved a reduction of 12.3% in 2022, against the base year 2020. It aims to reduce emissions by 40% by 2025.
It has also increased the sorting rate for waste in stores and warehouses. This ensures high material recycling and reuse, the company noted.
"Coop is a significant societal player owned by more than 2.1 million members, and the outside world has high expectations of us when it comes to safe goods and public health, health, diversity, ethics and sustainability. This entails a great responsibility for how we run our business," Engedal added.
© 2023 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest A-Brands news. Article by Dayeeta Das. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
