A Call for Sustainable Change in Supermarket Fuel Marketing
As we enter 2024, I'm embracing transformative goals that resonate with my personal and professional ethos. First, a journey towards self-acceptance – shedding the constant need to prove myself, a response to deep-seated trauma that's long fueled my anxiety. Second, a commitment aligned with my passion for the environment and reducing waste: writing weekly blog posts on issues that mentally occupy me but don't necessarily serve a purpose.
Each visit to my local New World supermarket brings a disheartening sight: a sheer volume of Z Energy receipts scattered around the self-checkout area. This isn't just an environmental concern; it's also about operational inefficiency and the physical toll on staff constantly cleaning up.
A Simple, Sustainable Solution
Could we not change the default checkout system setting to allow customers to opt out of these receipts? With many of us already sharing our emails, phone numbers, and loyalty program details, using this data could significantly reduce unnecessary paper use.
A Closer Look at Receipt Waste
The issue extends beyond mere littering:
Environmental Impact: Each receipt contributes to paper waste, consuming resources and adding to landfills.
Operational Inefficiency: Staff time spent picking up receipts could be more productively used.
Employee Wellbeing: Tools introduced to help staff pick up receipts without straining their backs indicate awareness of the problem but not a solution to its root cause.
Z Energy and New World's Commitments
Both Z Energy and New World are part of more significant sustainability initiatives:
Z Energy's Aims:
Emission Reduction: Aiming for a 42% reduction in operational emissions by 2030.
Climate Change Mitigation: Financing actions to mitigate climate change.
Sustainability Initiatives: Spanning waste management, water use, and energy consumption impacted a simple change.
New World's Focus:
New World advocates for sustainability, the environment, climate change, and waste management.
Environmental Impact of Paper Receipts
Assessing the carbon footprint, energy consumption, and waste generation from paper receipts at New World supermarkets is crucial in understanding their environmental impact.
Key Data Points and Assumptions
I wanted to understand whether addressing the issue of paper receipt waste would have a real climate impact. There's an undeniable environmental effect, but does addressing it meet a financial return on investment (ROI)? I don’t know; store numbers and transaction volume are guesses and calculated using a ChatGPT query.
Number of Transactions: An estimated 1,000 transactions per New World supermarket daily.
Receipt Dimensions and Usage: Average length: 15 cm; width: 80 mm.
Total Paper Usage: 21,000 meters/day across 140 stores, totalling 7,665 km annually.
Energy Consumption for Paper Production: Estimated daily consumption: 1,290 kWh.
Carbon Emissions: 128.38 kg CO2 daily across all stores; 46,858.7 kg CO2 annually.
Carbon Pricing in New Zealand: Hypothetical price: NZD 82 per tonne; annual carbon cost: NZD 3,842.52.
Landfill Costs: NZD 250 per tonne; annual cost for paper: NZD 8,432.50.
Total Environmental and Financial Impact: NZD 12,275.02 annually.
Perhaps, if you factor in the time spent by New World staff on managing this waste, it might. However, that's not my primary concern. I'm more interested in understanding why this issue isn't receiving more attention from decision-makers at Z Energy or New World. What's preventing them from acknowledging and acting upon this seemingly significant environmental and operational concern?
The Need for Systemic Change
While individual actions are essential, systemic change is crucial. This includes digital or opt-in receipt options and integrating customer data to minimize unnecessary printing.
The Bigger Picture
This seemingly minor issue exemplifies how everyday actions can contribute to more significant environmental problems. As I navigate my personal goals, I recognize the need for businesses to reassess and change environmentally harmful practices and how a business needs to change to address these issues. My wife works alongside me in our home office with her impressive background in leading significant transformations and mergers. She also teaches and coaches in these areas. Our experience lies in startup, where I leverage agile methodologies and cross-functional team dynamics, and she teaches it.
According to Miro's website, Z Energy has integrated Miro within their Agile teams for creativity and project management across various departments, including marketing, technology, and legal. It seems feasible that an agile organization could implement a solution to the paper receipt issue within 3 or 4 sprints. The agility inherent in their operations should enable them to navigate through this challenge efficiently and effectively.
In Conclusion
This blog post addresses an environmental issue that weighs on my mind and marks a step towards my growth this year. Letting go of the need to prove myself means choosing my battles wisely and expressing myself constructively.