Climate

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 298514 metric tons CO2e. 2021 300,573 metric tons CO2e.

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

“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.