Kroger 2015 Annual Report Download - page 6

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4
* * *
Making a Difference for Associates, Communities and the Planet
We believe that customers and associates increasingly make decisions based on how well
companies take care of their people, their communities and the planet. This is especially true for
Millennials, who make up more than half of Kroger’s workforce today.
I often tell potential new hires that if you like people and love food, Kroger is the place to be. All
associates have opportunities for personal and professional growth. Our store managers successfully
manage multi-million-dollar businesses. More than two-thirds of them started their Kroger careers as
part-time clerks. We are very proud of our opportunity culture, where associates can turn a job into a
career.
As our business expands we are creating new jobs and new opportunities for current associates.
We added 9,000 jobs in 2015 and have created more than 74,000 jobs over the past eight years. We
continue to honor our military men and women through dedicated veterans hiring initiatives. Last year
alone we hired more than 7,000 veterans, and we have hired more than 35,000 veterans since 2009.
In our communities, hunger remains our greatest challenge. Our commitment to hunger relief runs
broad and deep. As a founding member of Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief
organization, Kroger works with more than 100 local food banks that are part of Feeding America’s
network. Our associates sit on local food bank boards, lend technical expertise in areas such as food
safety, procurement and logistics, and provide thousands of volunteer hours annually to sort, pack and
serve food. Our associates also make possible Kroger’s Perishable Donations Program, a process to
rescue safe, edible fresh products and donate them quickly to local food banks. In 2015, Kroger donated
food and funds valued at more than $160 million, the equivalent of 276 million meals.
We make strategic investments in several other causes that our customers have identified as
priorities for their communities. In 2015, we donated more than $6 million to support women’s health
and breast cancer awareness programs. Fully half of it was contributed by customers and associates.
Kroger remains the largest cumulative giver to the USO in support of the military and their families. We
contributed $3 million in 2015, which brings Kroger’s cumulative donation since 2010 to more $14 million.
We see our community connection as a competitive advantage for Kroger and a point of pride
for our associates. Last year Kroger’s family of companies donated $51 million to support more than
145,000 community organizations selected by our customers through Community Rewards, an innovative
program that delivers customer-driven donations based on purchases in our stores. This very popular
program drives customer loyalty and enhances Kroger’s reputation as a generous community partner.
Every day in our stores, distribution centers, manufacturing facilities and offices, we strive to make a
positive difference for the planet as well. We do this in countless ways, both large and small.
Moving toward “zero waste” is one of Kroger’s top sustainability priorities. Whether it is diverting
waste from landfills, reducing our packaging, recycling plastic bags, or donating safe, perishable foods to
food banks, we are improving recycling rates and finding cost effective and responsible alternatives for
our waste. Today, 1,190 stores participate in food waste recycling initiatives, and 31 of our manufacturing
plants are designated as “zero waste” facilities.
We are increasingly focused on a sustainable supply chain. As one of the largest global food
retailers, we have opportunities to positively influence the food system from the farm to the table. Multiple
initiatives are underway to do just that. Through our commitment to locally grown and produced foods
in our communities and to Fair Trade and Rainforest Alliance certified products around the world; from
making a difference in the U.S. dairy supply chain, to ensuring the sustainability of global fisheries, and
increasing supplier audits in high-risk commodities and regions – we are working with suppliers to drive
accountability into the supply chain.
I invite you to learn more about our sustainability initiatives by reading our annual sustainability
report, available on our website sustainability.kroger.com.