Earth Day 2026: Revisiting past winners of Canadian Grocer’s Impact Awards
This Earth Day, we’re taking a look back at the winners of our annual Impact Awards in the category of sustainability. Read on to see why Longo’s, Metro, Sobeys and other companies made the cut.
The Canadian Grocer Impact Awards recognize initiatives introduced by retailers, suppliers and solution providers that are making a meaningful difference in a range of areas from helping the planet to supporting employees and communities. Nominations for the 2026 awards are open until May 14!
Longo’s (2025 winner)
In January 2024, Longo’s partnered with a waste management company and launched a pilot program at its Central Kitchen at its headquarters in Vaughan, Ont. to divert hard plastics and metals from landfills. Twelve months later, more than 27,000 pounds of hard plastics and metals had been diverted from waste streams, and the program was made permanent. Read more about the 2025 winners in sustainability.
Metro (2024 winner)
In April 2023, Metro took action to turn food waste into a valuable resource with the launch of its Animal Feed Program. The program supports a circular food system by diverting unsold food not fit for human consumption—and otherwise destined for landfill or rendering processors, which contribute to greenhouse gas emissions—to wildlife rescue centres and farmers where it is repurposed as animal feed. The program has helped the grocer reduce disposal costs while helping advance its waste diversion targets. Read more about the 2024 winners in sustainability.
Pattison Food Group (2023 winner)
Pattison Food Group (PFG)—whose retail banners include Save-On-Foods, Buy-Low Foods, Urban Fare and others—has a long track record of environmental leadership. In 2023, PFG stores across Western Canada diverted unsaleable food to community organizations, food banks, family farms, and to make compost—putting edible, surplus food to its highest use. Along its sustainability journey, the company has forged strong partnerships with several organizations, among them: local food banks, Canadian Centre for Food Integrity, Food Mesh, Ocean Wise, Mercy for Animals and Call2Recycle. The latter group named Save-On-Foods its 2022 Leader in Sustainability for helping divert nearly 4.4 million kilograms of batteries from landfills. Read more about the 2023 winners in sustainability.
Sobeys (2022 winner)
In 2021, Empire/Sobeys undertook a review of its operations and business practices to identify what environmental issues were most important to stakeholders and most impactful on the business. From that review, the company moved quickly to introduce programs to reduce food waste, eliminate plastics and fight climate change. In April 2021, the grocer started working with Second Harvest’s “Food Rescue App” to redirect surplus food to community partners in need. That year, Sobeys also completed its commitment to remove plastic grocery bags from all banners—that represents 800 million fewer plastic bags annually. Read more about the 2022 winners in sustainability.
Freson Bros. (2021 winner)
The folks at Freson Bros. know what it takes to run a sustainable grocery business that’s just as relevant today as it was when it first opened more than 65 years ago. Case in point: its 15th store, which opened in Edmonton in 2021, took sustainability to new heights. Solar panels provide 15,511 kWh of power to the store annually, while charging stations in the parking lot support electric vehicles. Heat is reclaimed from store refrigerators to heat water and the warehouse area, while cooking oil from the kitchen is diverted from landfills and converted for industrial re-use. The rooftop houses a 2,000-sq.-ft. garden with composting bins for zero net waste. Read more about the 2021 winners in sustainability.
