Energy efficiency and environmental impact analysis in grocery store market in Canada

Abstract

There is growing pressure to limit Global Warming Potential (GWP) as it is the most significant way to reduce serious threats to people. The increase of average temperature in the atmosphere causes adverse effects on the environment, and this is changing the way business operates. Together with undergoing changes to be more environmentally friendly, the majority of business sectors has been launching many projects to reduce environmental impacts. Similar to grocery sector in Canada, many companies have been reported to investigate the environmental performance. Loblaw Companies Limited, the largest food distributors in Canada, has put more concerns on environmental impacts and worked diligently to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through actions such as improving energy efficiency reducing refrigerant leaks, and incorporating renewable energy sources. This study analyzed Loblaw's energy efficiency and environmental performance and provided suggestions in the applications of skylight improvement, geothermal, refrigeration systems, kinetic energy to electricity, and e-grocery shopping. The results showed that the environmental concerns were substantially decreased. However, types of lights and refrigerators, distance driven, vehicle types, fuel used in e-grocery shopping results in the different amount of emissions; consequently, the GHG emissions varied depending on these factors. By integrating more environmentally technology, Loblaw could further reduce their emissions and waste and become a more sustainable company.