Friday 22 March 2019
The Channel Islands Co-operative Society Limited has been successful in achieving a Silver Keep Guernsey Green Award.
The award recognises organisations that help Guernsey maintain a healthy, clean environment, by operating to best practice in waste management and energy conservation. To achieve a Silver award the Co-op had to meet a set of high standards to demonstrate its commitment to reducing its impact on the environment.
The Gold, Silver and Bronze standards were introduced in 2018. Each of the stores was scored individually against the criteria, with the St Sampson's En Route store scoring the highest mark within the Silver band out of all the stores.
To secure the award the Society successfully demonstrated how the retailer had continued with and built on its previous pledges to maintain its environmental ethos and highlighted new 'green' initiatives. These included a travel audit for each store with bike racks provided to encourage healthy travel and to reduce its carbon footprint, establishing a plastic working group to identify opportunities to reduce plastic products in-store, as well as the installation of LED lighting and closed refrigerators to reduce energy consumption. The Co-op has also improved its waste generation and management processes through the installation of recycling bins and establishing a food waste collection system with a number of organisations.
Kenny McDonald, Head of Retail Operations at The Channel Islands Co-operative Society, said:
"We are so proud that our stores across the island have been recognised for the Society's commitment towards the environment. I am particularly pleased that En Route St Sampson was awarded the highest marks within the Silver band across all categories. As a community retailer we take our environmental responsibilities extremely seriously and minimising our impact is an integral consideration that is built into our processes and procedures."
Keith Tapscott, independent Assessor for the award, says:
"As part of a much larger organisation, the Channel Islands' Co-op has the advantage of being able to benefit from large scale initiatives, both taking place and being planned for the future. In addition the creation of a Channel Island Community Services function has further enhanced green and ethical credentials by way of providing funding and support for many local projects and activities. Environmental matters are considered and addressed as part of daily operations by store managers, with the assistance of the Community Officer."
Each organisation, which applies for the award, is subject to an assessment which monitors the current actions and future commitments taken by the company to reduce waste, increase recycling and improve energy conservation. An assessor is assigned to each organisation and provides guidance and support throughout the process.
The award is open to any size and type of organisation in Guernsey and is valid for three years after which it can be revalidated on a triennial basis. Further information is available here.
