IRVING, Texas—7-Eleven Inc. has released a detailed report outlining the chain’s sustainability and community support efforts during 2020.
Last year, 7-Eleven employees and franchisees worked with numerous national and local organizations to provide support where it was needed most. The company donated millions of masks to FEMA and to schools across Canada, committed more than $195 million to support local stores and franchisees as they provided customers with food and beverages, donated $250,000 to the American Red Cross Disaster Responder Program and more than $1 million to Feeding America and opened the brand’s first-ever pop-up store in a health-care facility, providing access to food and essential items for health-care workers and patient families.
With the average number of U.S. food bank visitors up 60% due to the pandemic, 7-Eleven doubled down on its commitment to hunger relief through a variety of grants, product donations and fund-raising programs in partnership with food banks and other nonprofit groups across the U.S. and Canada.
In 2020, 7-Eleven also created the Equality & Diversity Task Force and Roundtable made up of leaders from different areas within the company. The group is tasked with identifying ways to promote fairness across the organization.
The company made significant progress toward its stated sustainability goals last year and even exceeded the original goal of reducing CO2 emissions in stores by 20% by 2027—seven years earlier than originally planned. 7-Eleven is now pushing for a 40% reduction by 2027.
Looking to the future, management is focusing on areas where the brand can make the greatest difference. One example is the virtual Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Global Forum that the company hosted in November 2020. This event brought together the 7-Eleven ESG Task Force, plus more than 250 licensees, master franchisees and partners from 15 countries to showcase diverse and innovative programs.
Like 7-Eleven, convenience retailers around the world are working to improve the environment and are focusing on sustainability goals. As NACS Daily reported last month, ENOC recently unveiled its “Service Station of the Future” located in Dubai. The futuristic facility harnesses the power of renewable energy sources, including solar and wind, and has received the world's first LEED platinum certification for such a project, the highest rating a green building can receive.
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