Last updated on June 24th, 2024 at 08:40 pm
For the 22nd year in a row, Salisbury, North Carolina-based Food Lion has earned the Environmental Protection Agency Energy Star Partner of the Year Award for its work reducing energy consumption. The retailer is the only company in the U.S. to receive this honor for that long.
Each year, the Energy Star program honors a group of businesses and organizations that have made contributions to protecting the environment through energy achievements. Energy Star award winners lead their industries in the production, sale and adoption of energy-efficient products, homes, buildings, services and strategies.
Over the last year, Food Lion has reduced its energy usage per square foot by 29 percent. Its cumulative energy savings since becoming an Energy Star partner in 2000 equals 2.9 billion British Thermal Units, a global measurement used to determine energy savings. Food Lion’s cumulative energy savings is comparable to 73,042 homes’ electricity usage for one year, 14,222,837 incandescent lamps switched to LED and the carbon sequestered by 6,207,189 tree seedlings grown for 10 years.
“We know that our customers are committed to sustainability and we honor that commitment every day through our sustainable business practices,” said Matt Yates, VP of brand strategy.
“We take pride in being one of the nation’s leaders in energy conservation and efficiency. We will continue honoring this commitment to reduce our carbon footprint and be a neighbor our customers can count on to make a difference in the towns and cities we serve.”
Food Lion has allocated 33 percent more funds to lighting upgrades in stores. In 2022, Food Lion converted 210 stores from fluorescent lights to LED, which means that about 75 percent of all Food Lion stores have upgraded lighting. More conversions are planned for 2023.
“Our 2023 Energy Star award-winning partners exemplify what it takes to build a more sustainable future,” said Michael S. Regan, EPA administrator. “Our partner companies demonstrate that it takes all of us working together to combat the climate crisis.”
More than 900 of Food Lion’s 1,100 stores are Energy Star certified, saving energy, money and protecting the environment by generating fewer gas emissions than typical buildings.
Food Lion also earned the GreenChill Platinum-level certification in 2022 for a store in Southport, North Carolina. The store’s advanced refrigeration system uses CO2, a natural refrigerant with zero ozone depletion potential. Compared to similarly-sized supermarkets, the store avoided enough annual refrigerant to power 575 homes for a year.
For more information, visit foodlion.com.
