Supermarket Cooperative Wakefern Food Corp. Sets 2026 Earth Month Challenge
ShopRite Stores Encouraged to Spotlight Eco-Friendly Practices During April; Wakefern Sponsors Park Cleanup
Keasbey, NJ (April 2026) – ShopRite and the retailer-owned supermarket cooperative Wakefern Food Corp. are marking Earth Month with the 2026 Greener Stores, Greener Communities Earth Month Challenge, a month-long initiative encouraging family-owned ShopRite stores across the cooperative to highlight eco-friendly practices that reduce environmental impact, engage associates and support the communities they serve.
The Earth Month Challenge focuses on practical, everyday actions in stores and surrounding communities that engage customers and associates around recycling, waste reduction, and energy conservation. As part of the initiative, Wakefern hosted a volunteer clean-up on Earth Day, April 22, at Old Bridge Waterfront Park, while providing supplies for ShopRite stores that planned similar cleanups.
“Earth Month is an opportunity to celebrate the sustainability work already happening in our stores while inspiring new ideas that can make an impact every day,” said Alexandra Emery, manager of Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility for Wakefern and ShopRite. “This challenge empowers our teams to take action in ways that are achievable and meaningful for their stores and communities.”
The four-week Earth Month Challenge includes the following focus areas:
Recycling and Waste Reduction
Stores are encouraged to improve recycling accuracy through refreshed signage, recycling audits and team training, while also engaging customers with in-store education programs, including plastic bag and film recycling.
Energy and Water Conservation
Teams reinforce energy- and water-saving practices already built into daily operations, such as monitoring refrigeration systems, reducing unnecessary lighting and identifying small operational changes that can drive meaningful resource conservation.
Community and Green Team Engagement / Earth Day Activities
Centered around Earth Day on April 22, stores are invited to strengthen community connections through local cleanups, park beautification projects and in-store Earth Month celebrations, with store Green Teams leading planning and associate engagement.
Waste Diversion and Donations
The final week highlights ShopRite’s longstanding commitment to reducing food waste through composting, recycling and food donations. Stores are encouraged to refresh training, revisit waste diversion practices, explore new donation opportunities and share how surplus food supports local hunger-relief organizations.
A Longstanding Commitment to Sustainability
For more than 50 years, ShopRite and Wakefern have supported initiatives that reduce food waste, expand recycling and improve energy efficiency. ShopRite stores have diverted millions of tons of material from landfills, developed strong food waste reduction and food donation programs, invested in energy-saving technologies such as natural refrigerants and solar power, and installed electric vehicle charging stations at participating locations.
Many stores also maintain active Green Teams that identify opportunities to operate more sustainably and partner with local environmental and community organizations on efforts ranging from cleanups to tree plantings and community gardens.
“Every improvement — big or small — adds up,” Emery added. “When our teams lead by example, it strengthens trust with our customers and helps build cleaner, healthier and more resilient communities.”
About ShopRite
ShopRite is the registered trademark of Wakefern Food Corp., a retailer-owned cooperative based in Keasbey, NJ, and the largest supermarket cooperative in the United States. With hundreds of stores across New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Delaware and Maryland, ShopRite serves millions of customers each week. Through its ShopRite Partners In Caring program, founded in 1999, ShopRite has donated millions of dollars to food banks supporting thousands of charitable organizations. As title sponsor of the ShopRite LPGA Classic Presented by Acer, ShopRite has donated $40 million to hospitals, community groups and local charities. For more information, visit www.shoprite.com.
