Grocery chain with stores in Northern California, Nevada, and Hawaii
Environmentally-mindful sourcing and stocking commitments?: No
Promotes collections that help consumers make conscious decisions?: No / not found
Stocks any Commons top-rated sustainable brands? (proportion of rateable categories): Not analyzed yet
Has time-bound targets to improve its sourcing for owned-brand products?: No
Certifications for owned-brands and products?: Unclear - parent company has some Fair Trade certifications
Heavy reliance on virgin petro plastic?: Yes
Shares info on ecommerce packaging?: N/A
Shares info on in-store and upstream packaging?: No / not found
Shares info on own-brand packaging?: Yes - but reporting could be improved
Petro-based plastics in packaging?: Yes - but working to reduce
Recycled plastic?: Partially Recycled
Uses environmentally-mindful materials (non-plastic) in packaging?: Yes
These materials include ones that are: compostable, other.
Targets for improving its packaging materials?: Yes - but no recent progress updates
Initiatives to reduce packaging volume / intensity?: No / not found
Plastic waste reduction through partnerships?: No / not found:
Information on parent company (Albertsons Companies):
Uses renewable energy in its supply chain and/or offices?: Yes - Unknown
Uses renewable energy in its stores?: Yes - some (<50%)
Targets for increasing renewable energy?: No / not found
On track for these targets?: N/A
Energy efficiency measures?: Yes - thorough
Efforts to lower shipping emissions (e.g. EVs)?: Yes - specifics shared
Water conservation measures?: Yes - nonspecific
Refrigerant management strategy?: Yes - nonspecific
Any EPA GreenChill certified stores?: No / not found
Alt models to promote consumer reuse and recycling?: Recycling schemes
Packaging disposal guidance?: No / not found
Corporate waste reduction initiatives?: Other (incl general reducing landfill waste)
Corporate waste reporting?: No / not found
Food waste reduction initiatives?: Yes - vague / limited
Food waste reporting?: Yes - vague / limited
Promotes overconsumption?: No
Commons is still evaluating this brand's marketing emails.
Sustainability page on consumer site?: No / not found
Voluntary annual sustainability report?: Yes - parent company
Last published: 2025
Information on parent company (Albertsons Companies):
Reports its emissions?: Yes
Breakdown in CO2e?: Yes
Last reported in: 2024
Estimated emissions footprint: insert number here tons CO2e
Scope 1+2 emissions intensity compared to industry / competitor average: High
Information on parent company (Albertsons Companies):
Science-aligned emissions reduction targets?: Yes - SBTi approved
Target timeframe: Long-term (10+ years)
Reports progress?: Yes - on track for some
Climate neutral certification?: No
Offsets emissions?: No / not found
Information on parent company (Albertsons Companies):
Publishes supplier information for owned production?: No
Publishes supplier code of conduct?: Yes - parent company
Code of conduct: prohibits forced labor, establishes grievance mechanisms
Code of conduct does not sufficiently: disallow unauthorized subcontracting, ensure the right to collective bargaining, ensure a living wage, prohibit child labor, include environmental clauses
Code of Conduct covers all applicable suppliers (own-production and stocked-brand)?: Unclear
Labor certifications in supply chain?: No
3rd-party criticisms of supply chain or labor conditions?: Yes - few
Information on parent company (Albertsons Companies):
Discloses all trade association memberships?: Nothing to disclose
Climate-obstructive trade association memberships: None -
Pro-climate advocacy memberships?: No
Employs state lobbyists?: Yes
Percentage of lobbyists that are fossil-fuel aligned: Med 6-12%
Donated more than $100k to any candidates or PACs from 2018-2024?: Yes
Amount donated: $100-500K
How much more was given to obstructive candidates/PACs?: over 100 percent (105%)
We avoid Safeway because its sustainability reporting is incomplete or nonexistent, and its parent company contributes significantly to climate-obstructive financing. Large companies have outsized influence on their industries. When they neglect to act it undermines broader sustainability progress.
Safeway's parent company, Albertsons Companies, is holding back government climate action through its money and influence. It has donated $327,967 to climate-obstructive candidates or PACs since 2018. It spent 105% more on climate-obstructive candidates or PACs than on pro-climate ones.
A large portion of the environmental impact of purchases made at retailers comes from upstream decisions on sourcing materials and ingredients. Retailers are responsible for these decisions for their whitelabel brands, but can also push change by highlighting sustainable options from other brands. Safeway doesn't have any targets to improve sourcing for its whitelabel brands, and it doesn't promote environmentally mindful product collections.
Safeway uses primarily plastic packaging of a virgin or undisclosed source, which contributes greatly to waste production and excess energy use. It has some packaging focused goals, but hasn't provided recent updates on its targets to track any progress. It has initiatives to reduce waste in its corporate operations and reduce food waste in its supply chain, but it doesn't provide detailed reporting on either.
Safeway's parent company reports using (<50%) renewable energy in stores overall, but doesn't disclose renewable energy use in its supply chain or offices. It publicly shares its emissions measurements and has SBTi-approved reduction targets. Its reduction targets are partially on track, though its scope 1+2 emissions intensity remains high compared to competitors.
Our ratings are based on a scale from 1 (harmful) to 5 (best). How we rate →
https://s29.q4cdn.com/239956855/files/doc_downloads/2025/12/RecipeForChangeReport2025.pdf
https://www.epa.gov/greenchill/greenchill-certified-stores
https://www.climatefriendlysupermarkets.org/scorecard
https://www.safeway.com/content/dam/minisite/pdfs/Recyclable%20Items.pdf
https://s29.q4cdn.com/239956855/files/doc_downloads/2024/FY24_Q2_VendorCOCandBE_fnl_Digital.pdf
https://fminus.org/lobbyists/
https://www.fec.gov/data/browse-data/
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