Environmental & Social Impact
Zero Hunger | Zero Waste
In 2017, Aubriana introduced and implemented the Zero Hunger | Zero Waste social impact plan to the Smith’s division. Zero Hunger | Zero Waste is a bold vision to end hunger in the communities Smith’s serves and eliminate waste across the company by 2025. Since then, she has worked relentlessly to drive change and conversations inside and outside the company. Through her leadership, engagement and commitment, Smith’s continues to achieve significant results:
In the area of Zero Hunger, Aubriana achieved the following results:
Smith’s donated more than 8 million in food and funds to end hunger.
Smith’s provided a total of 4 million meals to communities across the Intermountain West.
Smith’s rescued 5 million pounds of safe nutritious food that could no longer be sold in its retail stores, or shipped from its distribution centers and manufacturing plants, for Feeding America® food banks, including Utah Food Bank.
Smith’s increased meal donations through its Zero Hunger | Zero Waste Food Rescue program by 18%.
In the category of Zero Waste, Aubriana’s leadership resulted in:
Smith’s diverted 42,000 tons from landfills across its seven-state footprint.
Smith’s increased year-over-year food waste diversion by 37%.
Smith’s achieved Zero Waste operations in their manufacturing plant located in Layton, Utah.
Smith’s increased total recycling efforts by 20% in plastic and 9% in cardboard.
Newly remodeled stores are designed to be zero waste by implementing many green initiatives including: the newest technologies in heating, cooling and water and hundreds of new glass door freezers and coolers with efficient LED lights.
Smith’s required the remodeling contractors to recycle 90% of the project’s total non-hazardous waste such as scrap wood, metal, cardboard, concrete brick, and plastic.
In 2018, Smith’s donated 29 pallets of new unsold clothes and shoes to several local non-profit organizations. The donation of 33,983 items of reclamation clothing from Smith’s has a retail value of $524,743 and helped meet the basic clothing needs of impoverished and low-income children and their families.
Smith’s has committed to eliminating single-use plastic grocery bags from its stores by 2025.
These efforts were recognized by Utah Business Magazine, which awarded Smith’s Food & Drug the Green Business Award in the category of Corporate Initiative in October 2019.