Sustainability

Cincinnati - The Kroger Co. has published its eighth annual sustainability report, setting its first-ever water conservation goal and providing a progress update on moving retail locations toward "zero waste" and sourcing 100% certified sustainable palm oil. Since 2000, Kroger has reduced energy consumption by nearly 35%. It has 557 Energy Star certified store locations and another 517 that are eligible.

Highlights of the report include:

Mars has named Debra A. Sandler as its chief health and wellbeing officer and elevated Tracey Massey to the role Sandler previously held as the acting president of Mars Chocolate, North America.

The creation of the chief health and wellbeing officer role is a reflection of the strategic priority that the company is placing on issues such as global food security, safety and quality, as well as on improving the nutritional value of its portfolio.

South American citrus, grapes and blueberries will arrive sooner and last longer for consumers in the Southeastern U.S. thanks to the Georgia Ports Authority’s participation in a USDA pilot program.

“South American fresh fruit destined to the Southeast market has traditionally been shipped to Northern U.S. ports,” said GPA executive director Curtis Foltz. “Delivery to Savannah means fruits won’t have to be trucked as far to reach Southeastern markets, allowing fresher offerings for stores and longer shelf life for consumers.”

Sears Holdings has named Kristin M. Coleman as SVP, general counsel and corporate secretary. Coleman most recently served as Brunswick Corporation's VP, general counsel and corporate secretary.

Brooklyn, N.Y. - In partnership with its largest rug supplier, Raj Overseas, West Elm has established a fair trade certified factory for handcrafted rugs in India. Fair trade certification ensures that the rugs are made in safe working conditions and that workers are justly compensated, delivering a premium back to the worker to invest in causes of their choice.

EnTouch Controls, a provider of cloud-based energy management services, is embarking on an aggressive growth strategy and to that end has appointed William Rickman as its new director of national accounts.

Rickman has more than a decade of experience of selling cloud-based financial services and fraud prevention solutions to the restaurant and retail markets.

Walmart is sponsoring the translation of an industry leading food fraud prevention course into Mandarin as part of a larger effort designed to position  the retailer as a leader in product quality, authenticity and safety.

Conshohocken, Pa. – Ikea has plugged-in an expansion of the solar array completed in April 2013 on the roof of its 1.7 million-sq.-ft. Perryville, Maryland, distribution center. Installation of the new panels began in fall 2013, and since then have nearly doubled the size of the original project.