Corporate Responsibility Report 2007

In December 2006 a small organic producer became the first producer to supply us via our Supply something new initiative. Buyers were so impressed by the artisan methods employed by Organic Patisserie that the bakery is now supplying its cheesecakes to 120 stores across the UK.

We have teamed up with Randall Parker Foods to supply a range of West Country new-season lamb to our stores. Farmers working with Randall Parker are guaranteed a market for their lambs and traditional farming methods and sustainable practices are at the heart of the new initiative.

The English Farming & Food Partnership chairman, Jeremy Pope, said the new initiative was a prime example of what the Curry Commission had in mind when it talked about the future of farming.

“That boils down to collaborative supply chains and this is a good example of how an effective supply chain can work – hanging together rather than separately.”

In May 2006 we launched a Jamie Oliver-endorsed, limited-edition T-shirt, complete with the Fairtrade stamp of approval. A donation from each sale was made directly to Sport Relief.

We ordered 40 tonnes of Fairtrade cotton to produce the 200,000 T-shirts to support Sport Relief, the biggest ever single order for Fairtrade cotton in the UK.

Jamie Oliver said:
“Buying the T-shirt is a fantastic opportunity to help two great causes, both Fairtrade and Sport Relief. I think anything that encourages people to get active is a good thing, and Sport Relief is a great, fun way to do this.”

We ordered 40 tonnes of Fairtrade cocoa to produce over eight million chocolate squares – Chocpix – that were included in Comic Relief’s famous Big Red Nose in 2007.

The chocolate was made with cocoa beans bought from Kuapa Kokoo – a farmers’ co-operative in Ghana. Kuapa Kokoo received a social premium of $6,000 (£3,500 approx) to invest in projects to improve family and village life. These include education, healthcare and drinking wells. The amount could cover the cost of installing a village well that will provide enormous benefit to the entire community within a 2-3 mile radius.

In August 2006, Herefordshire cider company Weston's, which produces our Sainsbury's SO organic West Country Cider, became a gold medal winner in the Soil Association's prestigious Organic Food Awards.

To help customers be greener in 2006, we offered a Christmas card recycling service in all stores. From 27 December, customers were able to place their old, unwanted Christmas cards in recycling boxes available throughout the New Year. We arranged for the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) to be our charity partner for this scheme. The FSC benefited from a donation of £7,500 following the final collection and return of cards. This helps the FSC to continue its valuable work improving responsible management of the world’s forests.

We have been working with FareShare, which works to relieve food poverty by providing quality food and other support services to organisations working with homeless and disadvantaged people in the community, for over ten years, to redistribute surplus food to those most in need.

FareShare now regularly supports over 350 local community organisations across the UK, catering for around 16,000 homeless & disadvantaged people every day. Last year alone, FareShare redistributed around 2,000 tonnes of ‘fit for purpose’ surplus food, which contributed to around 3.3 million meals.

We supported FareShare in the second year of its Christmas Meal Appeal, which provided a Christmas dinner to over 20,000 people living on the margins of society in December 2006.

In 2006/07 we contacted our own-brand suppliers, introducing them to FareShare and suggesting that they also support the charity with any surplus food they have.

“A customer complained recently that there were quite a few products she used to buy but could no longer find in store. We offered the customer an ‘accompanied shop’, which was booked in for the following week. Walking every aisle with the customer helped trigger queries about lines. We built up a rapport and agreed on other areas for improvement as we walked the shop floor.

Afterwards, I spoke to head office about the product queries. Some of the products we were able to re-order. For others, I got answers on why we couldn’t stock them any more. Once the list was completed, I phoned the customer and let her know the outcome, with which she was delighted. This helped me to keep an affluent customer happy and retain her custom.”

Paul Gilligan, store manager,
Sainsbury’s Islington

“I hadn’t had a job since leaving college. Working at Sainsbury’s has given me more confidence to do things outside of work, and it helps that I’ve also got more money now. My team, supervisor and manager have all been very supportive. I wouldn’t change a thing about the job – I’m really happy with it.”

Keiran Banting, Sainsbury’s Broadcut store