Foodstuffs, the 100% New Zealand owned and operated co-operative behind the country’s New World, PAK’nSAVE and Four Square stores, has appointed Jenny Marshall, a well-respected leader in sustainability and waste management as its new circular economy – waste minimisation lead.
The newly created role will support the co-operatives 500+ stores in their commitment to reduce waste and meet the collective target of having 81% of waste diverted from landfill by 2025.
Head of Environmental Social Governance for Foodstuffs, Sandy Botterill says Jenny brings a wealth of experience in waste management and minimisation and joins Foodstuffs following a senior advisory role at the Ministry for the Environment.
“We’ve got ambitious sustainability and waste minimisation goals and are proud to have stores in nearly every community across Aotearoa.
“Jenny has a proven track record of implementing sustainable practices and is well placed to help lead our co-operative into the next phase of our sustainability efforts” Sandy says.
Foodstuffs have made a commitment to address waste challenges in the grocery industry, underpinning the organisation’s ‘Here for NZ’ social promises to be leaders in sustainability and to support local communities to thrive.
Sandy says over the past 10 years, Foodstuffs has introduced a number of waste reduction initiatives, such as partnering with food rescue organisations like Kaibosh, Fair Food and Satisfy, to reduce the amount of food that heads to landfill, as well as removing more than 18 million cardboard boxes by switching to reusable crates.
Foodstuffs are also one of the founding members of Kai Commitment, a voluntary agreement among leading food sector businesses designed to reduce food waste, and emissions from food waste, across Aotearoa’s food supply chain.
Prior to working at the Ministry for the Environment, Jenny held roles with the industry body WasteMINZ, where she ran the successful Love Food Hate Waste New Zealand and Plastic Free July Aotearoa campaigns.
At the Ministry she played an instrumental role in standardising the materials collected in household kerbside recycling, as well as setting up a national food waste reduction programme.
Jenny says she’s acutely aware of the need for New Zealand to move towards a more circular and sustainable economy and will be focused on continuing the great mahi already underway at Foodstuffs.
“Supermarket shopping is big part of Kiwis’ everyday lives. As well as taking responsibility to reduce the waste generated by our stores, we are also looking to help our customers reduce their own waste,” she says.
“I’m very much looking forward to being at the forefront of that.”
