2021 Performance Tables

Performance & Disclosure

Having reached the end of our 2020 Sustainability Goals reporting period, we are now looking to what lies ahead. By engaging key stakeholders, subject matter experts and internal business owners, we established new long-term commitments and goals to advance Kroger’s sustainability leadership through the next decade.

• Goal
• 2018
• 2019
• 2020
• Target Year
• Status

People

• Total Meals: Increase cumulative total of meals directed to our communities (food and funds)

• 1 billion meals (2017–2019); 3 billion meals (2017–2025)
• 641M
• 1.1B
• 1.8B
• 2020
  2025
• 

• Surplus Food: Improve management of surplus food company-wide

• Optimize recovery of surplus food for donation through Kroger’s Zero Hunger | Zero Waste Food Rescue program
• 100M pounds
• 101M pounds
• 90M pounds*
• 2025
• 
  

• Strive for 100% of retail stores to participate in food rescue every year
• 97%
• 98%
• 93%*
• 2025
• 
  

• Increase retail donations of fresh Produce, Deli and Dairy items to be 45% of total food rescue
• 26%
• 29%
• 37%*
• 2025
• 
  

• Philanthropy: Strategically optimize giving to hunger relief partners as share of total company-wide charitable giving (total of food and funds)
• $192M: $328M
• $205M: $279M
• $213M: $301M
• 2025
• 
  

• Increase The Kroger Co. Foundation grant-making to advance Zero Hunger | Zero Waste, racial equity and other focus areas
• $6.1M
• $10.5M
• $16.4M
• 2025
• 
  

• Establish The Kroger Co. Zero Hunger | Zero Waste Foundation and Innovation Fund; increase national and local grants to accelerate positive impact
• –
• $10M
• $16.5M
• 2025
• 
  

• Wages & Benefits: Provide solid wages and good quality, affordable health care and retirement benefits

• Invest $500 million in cumulative associate compensation and benefits through Restock Kroger
• $216M
• $508M
• $798M
• 2020
• 
  

• Increase average retail hourly wages and benefits over time
• $14.40/hour; $18/hour including benefits
• $15/hour; $20/hour including benefits
• $15.50/hour; Over $20/hour including benefits
• 2020
• 
  

• Total Meals:Framework for Action: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion: Achieve commitments to create a more inclusive culture

• Create DE&I Advisory Council to advance our long-term DE&I commitments
• –
• –
• Completed
• 2020
• 

• 100% of leaders participate in Unconscious Bias training
• –
• –
• 96%
• 2020
• 

• 100% of associates participate in Inclusion training in 2021
• –
• –
• Will report in 2022
• 2021
• 

• Increase annual spend with inclusive suppliers to $10 billion
• $3B
• $3.4B
• $4.1B
• 2030
• 

• Deploy funds to advance social justice through The Kroger Co. Foundation’s
  $5 million Racial Equity Fund
• –
• –
• $3M
• 2025
• 

Planet

• Reduce total food waste generated in our retail supermarkets by 50% cumulatively from our 2017 baseline (cumulative reduction; annual tons generated)
• 9.3%
  301,282 tons
• 13%
  288,966 tons
• 19.3%
  268,248 tons
• 2025
• 

• Achieve 95% retail food-waste diversion
• 39.7%
• 44.7%
• 48.3%
• 2025
• 

• Strive for 95% or more of retail stores participating in food waste recycling programs
• 74%
  (2,039 stores)
• 76%
  (2,120 stores)
• 87%
  (2,407 stores)
• 2025
• 

• Company-wide, meet and exceed the zero waste threshold of 90% diversion from landfill
• 76%
• 80%
• 81%*
• 2020√
• 

• Recycle over 200 million pounds more plastic cumulatively since 2016
• 137.4M pounds
• 191.1M pounds
• 248.9M pounds
• 2020
• 

• Continue to integrate reusable plastic containers (RPCs) into our network and test new technologies that reduce waste in the supply chain
• 160M RPCs
• 123M RPCs
• 197M RPCs
• 2020
• 

• Recover over 3.3 billion pounds of cardboard annually
• 1.5B pounds
• 1.6B pounds
• 1.7B pounds
• 2020
• 

• Achieve zero waste in 50% of new store and remodel construction projects
• 40%
• 54%
• 64%
• 2020
• 

• Phase out single-use plastic shopping bags. Phaseout commitment is in addition to any existing and future legislation for plastic bags
• –
• QFC division phaseout complete
• Developing roadmap*
• 2025
• 

• Achieve a 3% annual reduction in water consumed per unit produced in our plants
• 3.44% ↑
• 1.7% ↓
• 3.43% ↓
• 2020
• 

• Optimize Our Brands product packaging in the following ways:
• 2020 Sustainable Packaging Goals—Our Brands-manufactured products

• Reduce plastic resin by 10 million pounds cumulative
• 9.8M pounds
• 10.1M pounds
• 15.1M pounds
• 2020
• 

• Use at least 20% post-consumer recycled (PCR) content
• –
• –
• 5%
• 2020
• 

• Increase communication about recyclability on all applicable packaging (no. items labeled “Please Recycle”)
• 1,830+ items
• 3,000+ items
• 4,800+ items
• 2020
• 

• Increase certified virgin fiber from well-managed forests for paperboard packaging (% certified)
• –
• 80%
• 74%
• 2020
• 

• Increase the recyclability of plastic packaging
• Read more in Packaging section
• 2020
• 

• Support the expansion of infrastructure to increase the availability and accessibility of recycling for Our Brands product packaging
• Read more in Packaging section
• 2020
• 

• 2030 Sustainable Packaging Goals—All Our Brands products

• Complete a baseline product packaging footprint to fully understand current packaging impacts
• Reporting to commence in 2022 ESG Report
• 2030
• –

• Seek to achieve 100% recyclable, compostable and/or reusable packaging
• Reporting to commence in 2022 ESG Report
• 2030
• –

• Product portfolio collectively contains at least 10% recycled content in packaging
• Reporting to commence in 2022 ESG Report
• 2030
• –

• Reduce unnecessary packaging
• Reporting to commence in 2022 ESG Report
• 2030
• –

• Increase awareness among Kroger customers about how to properly manage product packaging at end of life
• Reporting to commence in 2022 ESG Report
• 2030
• –

• Achieve a 30% cumulative reduction in greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) (metric tons CO2e)
• Baseline
  5,774,060 MTCO₂e
• 3.4% ↑
  5,967,865 MTCO₂e
• 8.6% ↓
  5,275,845 MTCO₂e
• 2030
• 

• Improve our ton miles per gallon (TMPG) by 20%
• 10.21%
• 10.84%
• 15.47%
• 2020
• 

• Achieve a 3% annual reduction in electricity consumed per unit produced in our plants
• 0.36% ↓
• 2.47% ↑
• 5.26%* ↓
• 2020
• 

• Achieve a 3% annual reduction in natural gas consumed per unit produced in our plants
• 4.95% ↑
• 3.12% ↑
• 5.49%* ↓
• 2020
• 

• Achieve a 10% annual reduction in refrigerant leakages in our retail stores
• 0%
• 0%
• 10%
• 2020
• 

Systems

• Source 100% of wild-caught seafood from fisheries that are Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified, in MSC full assessment, in comprehensive fishery improvement projects (FIPs) or certified by other Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative (GSSI)-recognized programs
• 88%
• 88%
• 86%
• 2020√
• 

• Preferentially source MSC-certified wild-caught seafood and source at least 90% of volume from fisheries that are MSC certified
• 75%
• 71%
• 72%
• 2020√
• 

• Source 100% of farm-raised seafood from farms that are Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) 2-Star or greater certified, Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) certified or GLOBALG.A.P. certified
• 89%
• 96%
• 98%
• 2020√
• 

• Source 100% of shelf-stable tuna from companies aligned with the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF)
• 100%
• 100%
• 100%
• 2020√
• 

• Source 20% of Our Brands shelf-stable tuna from fisheries that are MSC certified
• Reporting to commence in 2022 ESG Report
• 2025
• –

• Transition to a 100% cage-free egg supply chain (% shell eggs that are cage-free)
• 23.3%
• 23.1%
• 24.9%
• 2025
• 

• Source 100% of fresh pork from suppliers and farms that have transitioned away from gestation crates (% of supply chain not using gestation crates for at least part of pregnancy)
• 38%
• 43%
• 51%
• 2025
• 

*Per-unit decrease partially driven by increased production tonnage due to pandemic-related demand
**Data reflects calendar year

√ Extending goal

Did not achieve

Continued focus

On track

Significant progress

Achieved

Achieved ahead of schedule

Note: M = million, B = billion