Since our early days as a family-owned business in Nova Scotia starting in 1907, we’ve been proud to serve Canadians and grow alongside the communities we call home. Empire Company Limited remains committed to delivering the highest quality products and exceptional value, while focusing on integrating more sustainable business practices—because Canadians deserve the best.
Today, we continue to honour our roots by standing up for our customers, teammates and partners as we all face evolving global challenges. We believe a strong, sustainable food system in Canada is critical to our country’s economic resilience and food security. As a proudly Canadian grocery retailer, we are committed to strengthening domestic supply chains, investing in homegrown businesses and ensuring people across the country have access to the best locally sourced products.
Sustainability is a core part of our strategy to bring Canadians the very best. Empire continues to focus on eliminating food waste, supporting local food banks and strengthening Canada’s food ecosystem. We are making progress on our Climate Action Plan, which includes our target to achieve net-zero by 2040 for Scope 1 and 2 emissions by decarbonizing our business and using energy and other resources sustainably. We are helping nurture healthy bodies and minds across Canada through investments in the more than 900 communities we serve, supporting youth mental health and contributing to other meaningful causes that are important to us, to our customers and to our teammates. Playing a leading role to advance Canada’s Grocery Code of Conduct, meanwhile, reflects Empire’s commitment to fairer industry practices and better outcomes for consumers.
We have always believed that sustainability is good for business and drives our growth strategy. Over the past year, we’ve made strategic investments to deliver more value to customers across all our banners. For example, we’ve expanded Own Brands with a focus on large-format, multicultural and value-oriented products to meet evolving customer needs. In addition, we have made our transportation network more efficient by enhancing our transportation management systems, optimizing delivery frequency and expanding our supply chain network.
Our business is deeply interconnected with the strength of our communities and our country, now and in the future. Empire’s progress as a sustainable business reflects the commitment of our customers, the passion of our teammates, the collaboration of our supplier partners and the ongoing trust of our investors. Thank you for working with us and doing your part to build a stronger, more prosperous Canada.
In recent years, Empire has taken bold action to improve our sustainability leadership. We were the first national grocery chain to eliminate single-use plastic checkout bags. We launched a robust Climate Action Plan to set and track our progress on clear, science-based targets. In collaboration with our supplier partners, we continue to drive our shared sustainability goals through initiatives such as the CDP Supply Chain program. Our efforts will continue to evolve: we keep listening and learning, updating our strategy and action on material topics and improving our sustainability disclosures every year.
Building on that momentum, in fiscal 2024 we renewed our sustainability strategy to further our growth as a sustainable business leader. Empire will continue to decarbonize and transition our business and our supply chain to thrive in a low-carbon economy. We will:
Find new ways for customers to shop and live with reduced plastic waste;
- Direct more food to Canadians’ plates rather than landfills;
- Continue to embed responsible business practices in all our sourcing decisions to ensure everyone in our supply chain is treated fairly; and
- Make it even easier for Canadians to make practical choices that are healthy for themselves, for their communities and for the planet.
