J Sainsbury plc : Third Quarter Corporate Responsibility Update

Sainsbury's sets out £1 billion sustainability plan.

has launched a new £1 billion plan, which will ensure the company remains at the forefront of sustainability between now and 2020. The 20 by 20 Sustainability Plan sets out 20 sustainability targets to be achieved by 2020.

chief executive, Justin King, said: "Given the scale of our business, we believe these 20 commitments represent the most ambitious sustainability targets in our industry.

"If we are to meet the sustainability challenges that lie ahead, it is important that companies such as invest in the future right now. We do not see this plan as a luxury; it is, rather, an essential investment that will ensure we can continue to provide customers with quality food at fair prices, sustainably for many years to come.

"The introduction of the 20 by 20 targets represents another step in helping our customers live well for less, following hot on the heels of our re-launch of by and Brand Match. The 20 by 20 plan shows customers that they can indeed have better quality at fair prices, without compromising on standards or their values."

There has been much other activity over the last quarter. The following is a summary of the main highlights: 

1. Best for Food & Health

• for making healthier eating and drinking easier for consumers. We have over 200 pharmacists trained as healthy eating advisors, enabling them to help customers manage a range of health issues by making changes to their diet.
• to demonstrate how our pharmacists can help improve the health of UK families over the course of a year. The challenge will assess the impact of expert guidance and support from pharmacists on ten families, all with the surname Wells. This will be independently monitored by leading think tank 2020health.
• and Healthcare at Home Ltd announced that they have been chosen by South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to  at The James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough.

2. Sourcing with Integrity

• to over 1,000 farmers, growers and suppliers at the company's annual agricultural conference, ''. has committed to doubling sales of British food by 2020.
• The has now started a trial of the free farrowing system, the first commercial trial of its kind on this scale in Europe. If successful, the new farrowing system could be taken up by our other pig farmers, improving the welfare of millions of pigs and boosting the supply of British pork.

3. Respect for our Environment

• . The awards were presented for a number of innovations including the innovative window on our fresh juice cartons, which allows customers to measure portions and cut down on waste. This quarter we have also removed the cardboard from all our own brand pizzas, reducing packaging by 75 per cent.
• , a joint report with Unilever and Forum for the Future was launched this quarter. The report looks into how brands can help consumers adopt more environmentally sustainable behaviours.
• after signing a 3-year deal with Biffa. The deal means that all of our food waste (all food that we are unable to sell or donate to local charities) will be sent to AD to generate biogas and compost.

4. Making a Positive Difference to our Community

• . This commitment will see the total raised by colleagues and customers exceed the £100m mark.
• launched its first ever national food drive, the , with its charity partner FareShare. Together with pledge to match customers' donations, a total of 1.2 million meals were donated to FareShare in just one day.
• renewed and retained its Business in the Community 'CommunityMark' status for another three years. The standard acknowledges the varied ways that companies of all sizes are investing in their communities. Earlier in the year, Sainsbury's became the first food retailer to be awarded 'Platinum Plus' in Business in the Community's Corporate Responsibility Index.
• As part our 20 by 20 commitment to encourage 20 million children to enjoy physical activity in the decade, we aimed to encourage 1 million children to participate in Paralympic sport We signed David Beckham as an ambassador to support us in this and 6,000 schools have already signed up, with over 2 million kids pledged to try a Paralympic sport in 2012.

For more information on 20 by 20 Sustainability Plan please go to the corporate responsibility section of the corporate website.