Sustainability:
Taking Good Care

Sustainability:
Taking Good Care

earth made out of produce

Climate Impact

Sprouts recognizes the impact that climate has within our supply chain and effects on our stores in terms of the occurrence and intensity of climate related weather events. We continually monitor and evaluate risks to our business stemming from climate change and are in the process of developing plans to mitigate some of these effects. Over the next year, we expect to commit to setting a science-based target for carbon reduction, along with aligning our climate goals with the framework of the Task Force on Climate Financial Disclosure (“TFCD”).

Within our operations, we have invested in green building practices and efficiency efforts to minimize the resources used in our stores and supply chain. Each store is connected to a centralized environmental management system which tracks performance and ensures they are running efficiently.
  • 10% reduction in scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions per square foot from 2019
  • 28% of our grid energy was from renewable sources
  • 23% smaller store footprint reducing energy consumption onsite

Carbon Emissions


2020 Emissions (metric tons CO2e) 2021 Emissions (metric tons CO2e)
Waste 33,318 0,947
Upstream T&D 53,393 53,150
Natural Gas 28,601 29,878
Refrigerant (stationary) 61,509 68,930
Electricity 121,693 1177,668
Totals 298,514 300,573
Scope 1 90,110 98,808
Scope 2 121,693 117,668
Scope 3 87,711 84,097
View Infographic

We are always seeking opportunities to conserve energy and other resources in our operations. Our standard practices include:
  • We are transitioning to lower Global Warming Potential (GWP) refrigerants and designing refrigeration systems to reduce leak rates.
  • Our stores are built using green building and design best practices like those outlined by Leadership in Energy Efficiency and Design (LEED) Silver specifications.
  • We use night curtains, natural light harvesting, and LED lighting in stores. 35 stores were converted to LED lighting in 2021, bringing our total number of LED-lit stores to nearly 60% of our fleet.
  • We are retro-commissioning our stores to ensure they operate efficiently and our setpoints are on target, yielding significant energy savings.

GreenChill Certification

Greenchill Certification logo “Sprouts Farmers Market continues to be a champion of environmental leadership through their sustained commitment to reducing refrigerant emissions, we commend Sprouts’ commitment to GreenChill and look forward to continuing to certify more and more Sprouts stores.” Kirsten Cappel, manager of EPA’s GreenChill program, 2021

In 2009, Sprouts joined the EPA’s GreenChill program, a partnership with food retailers to reduce refrigerant emissions and decrease their impact on the ozone layer and climate change.
  • 88 stores are GreenChill certified
  • 21 stores achieved their 5th consecutive annual certification

Exploring Green Technology

Sprouts Woodstock is the first grocery store in North America to utilize Second Nature™ CO2 Ejection refrigeration technology, the most energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly refrigeration system available in the industry. The cutting-edge technology takes up a much smaller carbon footprint, uses naturally occurring CO2 that delivers a Global Warming Potential of almost zero, saves an average of up to 10 percent energy savings each year and meets the qualifications for the EPA’s GreenChill Platinum certification.