Sustainability Profile: Community Natural Foods

1. What is your company's brand promise, vision or statement of values, and how does it relate to sustainability?

Our published core values at Community include the following:
• Commitment to sustainable agriculture
• Promote community interchange of ideas
• Guide and inspire our community to live healthier
• Be fun, friendly, and caring
• Respect the individuals that make up our community
• Commitment to profit from fair, ethical, and environmentally sustainable business practices
2. How are your products or services environmentally and socially sustainable?

We look to partner with like minded businesses that share the same goals and values as we do to supply sustainable, environmentally responsible, fairly traded and nourishing products.
3. How does your company give preference to suppliers who create positive social and environmental benefits either through their products and services or through their community partnerships?

We partner with suppliers that are conscious of the distance that their products travel as well as what their products are made of. Some examples are buying raw materials from Fair trade co-operatives, practicing land stewardship, environmentally restorative soil building and a commitment to supporting sustainable farming practices with minimal processing and minimal effects on the environment. We partner with suppliers that pay their employees a living wage and we support the fair trade industry. Some of our suppliers contribute to 1% For the Planet or Vitamin Angel.
4. How does your business minimize the environmental impact of its operations?

We have comprehensive recycling programs including plastic recycling as well as composting at our stores and our head office. Our compost is sent to an animal shelter to be used as feed, we also send any food that is close to expiry to the Mustard Seed to be used in their meal programs.

We use solar panels at our head office to heat our water. We are Bullfrog powered at our stores, head office and warehouse.

We are very proud to be the first Calgary Grocer to go single use plastic bag free. We use recycled high post consumer content paper bathroom supplies are also use cloth cleaning towels. We use environmentally friendly cleaning products at all locations.

In renovating our 10th avenue store we worked with Clean Calgary to help determine the most environmentally friendly flooring option available. We are also transitioning to a much more energy efficient freezer compression system and compact fluorescent lighting. We are in initial discussions with Riva's Eco Store about helping us with our Head office kitchen renovation.

We participate in Sustainable Alberta's Associations Commuter Challenge. Both retail locations are conveniently located near transit stations; we have well used bike racks and are pedestrian friendly.
5. How does your business demonstrate ethical business conduct?


• Board governance: Our board is not an advisory board. The business owner lives an environmentally responsible lifestyle personally and insists that Community Natural Foods conducts business that way as well. Our mission and vision process/statement address this and reinforce the commitment.
• Reporting hotline: Our reporting hotline is an open door policy to HR and the General Manager's offices, plus open employee forums with published minutes. It is our business culture to hold each other responsible for ethical behavior at all levels of the business.
• Policy: Our policy document covers ethics with clarity and for the protections of the company. This issue is dealt with more through the statements under reporting hotline, than traditional hierarchical discipline procedures.
6. What strategic community partnerships does your company have in place?

We do ongoing work with the following community-based organizations:
• Potential Place
• Chrysalis
• The Mustard Seed
• Clean Calgary
• Olds College
• Mount Royal College
• DDRC (Developmental Disabilities Resource Center of Calgary)
We have memberships with the Canadian Health Food Association, the Dispute Resolution Council, the Retail Council of Canada, the Natural Health Product Protection Association, Respect for the Earth and All People and the Going Organic Network.
7. What policy or guidelines exist to support charitable contributions?

We set a budget annually for charitable contributions. These are either given out as product gift baskets or as financial support. Some of the events and causes we supported in 2008 include: City of Calgary United Way Campaign, Cuso Dance Event, Fair Trade Week Conferences and Market Day, Celiac Association Conference, Live'r Up, Banff Trail School Fundraiser, The Foothills Academy, In From The Cold Fundraiser Gala, Rocky Mountain Flatbread Education Program, Alberta Major Bantam Hockey All Star Tournament.
8. How many people do you employ locally?

225
9. In what ways does your business demonstrate its commitment to employee health and safety?

We have health and safety compliance including WHIMIS training, fork truck certification and First Aid training. We are installing committees at all facilities and will have an extensive training program for all employees in place by the spring of 2009.
10. In what ways does your business demonstrate its commitment to employee development and job satisfaction?


• Education reimbursement: We support our staff in attaining certification at a variety of education institutes as part of our company mandate and vision.
• Professional development opportunities: We promote from within and seek to develop our staff with education opportunities. We also send our staff to trade shows, industry events, software training and webinars.
• Benefit package: We have a comprehensive benefits package available to all staff that also includes alternative health care.
• Telecommuting: We encourage this during Sustainable Alberta's Commuter Challenge. We have an informal policy in place that is used when both employee and company needs are met.
11. How does your business support employees to lead balanced lives and be active participants in their communities?


• Employee volunteer days: We have given staff days off with pay to volunteer at Clean Calgary and Project Porchlight. We are involved in a number of community events where our staff is able to attend and participate.
• Telecommuting: We encourage this during Sustainable Alberta's Commuter Challenge. We have an informal policy in place that is used when both employee and company needs are met.