Corporate sustainability is one of the most talked-about issues for large corporations, especially when the Consumer Price Index has been on the rise, national supply shortages are affecting large grocery chains, and new plans are in the works for transforming the food system to be more resilient. But knowing what corporate sustainability is and how large grocery chains can achieve it can be a challenge. In this blog, we’re detailing what exactly it means to be sustainable, how social responsibility factors in, and how SAM Auctions is focusing on sustainability goals that are concrete, measurable, and simple.

What is Corporate Sustainability?

Let’s start with the basics; what exactly is corporate sustainability? Corporate sustainability prioritizes long-term growth using renewable methods instead of short-term financial gains. It aims to satisfy the needs of current generations without compromising the needs of future generations. Corporate sustainability results from coordinating financial, environmental, and social duties and processes from company employees to key stakeholders to the public. 

By implementing corporate sustainability, businesses can reduce their environmental footprint and support local communities. 

Achieving Corporate Sustainability with Social Responsibility

Often thought of as interchangeable terms, there are a few key differences between corporate sustainability and social responsibility. Social responsibility focuses on the pillars of environmental impact to maximize use and reduce consumption. These pillars hold up corporate sustainability. Before we jump back to corporate sustainability, let’s delve into the social responsibility pillars using a Zero-Waste policy.

Corporate Sustainability Using a Zero Waste Policy

Zero waste is a form of corporate sustainability that decreases environmental impact. At SAM Auctions, we achieve social responsibility by using a Zero-Waste policy based on three policies: Reuse, reduce, and recycle. 

Reuse

Recovering products and components, along with reusing raw materials, encourages sustainable development because it reduces the need for precious natural resources and raw materials. In one instance, a metal that would be thrown away is instead sold to a scrap metal yard. This takes the expense off the client, benefits the consignor, and helps the environment.

At every SAM auction, we’re working to keep waste out of landfills. Materials are reused to stop waste at the source. Our showrooms and auctions repurpose thousands of items each year. We resell and put into reuse 85 percent of the equipment we manage.

Reduce

By reducing waste, corporations can conserve natural resources and minimize disposal costs. We aim to minimize our trash dumpsters to one or less for each supermarket we work in. Due to these efforts, trash is reduced by up to 70 percent of normal store closures.

Recycle

Recycling is an eco-friendly method of waste management. It conserves natural resources, including cardboard and metal, and decreases the harm affecting our generation and future generations.

From printing our business cards on recycled paper to using recycling bins throughout our corporate headquarters to large-scale recycling at all job sites, our recycling efforts span the entire scope of our operations. In the field, we sort all items that cannot be reused – including metals, papers, plastic materials, and wood – and send them to local recycling yards.

Additional Corporate Sustainability Factors to Consider

While corporate sustainability includes social responsibility goals, it also includes several other key factors that create overarching goals. Additional factors could include environmental standards, market responsibility, supply chain management, legal compliance, and contributions.

Why is Corporate Sustainability Important?

Food waste is one of the biggest problems facing the grocery retail sector. Forty percent of food waste stems from large grocery chains, including unsold food, overproduction, and over-ordering. For this sector in particular, one of the most impactful ways to make a difference in the bottom line and for environmental benefits far exceeding our generation is to focus on corporate sustainability. 

At SAM Auctions, we recycle or repurpose 95% of everything we touch. Knowing how important it is for your company to meet its green goals as well, we provide you with carbon offset reporting upon project completion. And for one of our client associations, Whole Foods, these efforts have made a big difference. According to the Center for Biological Diversity’s 2019 report, Whole Foods has landed in the number four slot for large grocery corporations taking essential steps for effective food-waste reduction. Their focus on diverting food waste from landfills compliments our commitment to corporate sustainability using our Zero Waste Policy.

Sustainability is a core component of our services. We are committed to minimizing our environmental footprint and keeping our communities clean by acting responsibly to benefit our company, our clients, and the environment.

The Bottom Line

By keeping communities clean by minimizing landfill trash, at SAM Auctions, we pride ourselves as a firm with corporate sustainability as a cornerstone goal. Learn more about our commitment to minimizing environmental impact from our management team in this quick 1-minute video.