Woolworths Sustainability

Running head: WOOLWORTHS SUSTAINABILITY
WOOLWORTHS SUSTAINABILITY
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Question 1
The respective company that has been taken into consideration for the research
assessment is a Sydney based popular retail company, Woolworths Group. Woolworths Group
Limited is a major and second largest Australian company after Perth based retail conglomerate
Wesfarmers which exclusively provides premium retail service and it is also considered as the
largest liquor takeaway and hotel and gaming poker machine operator in Australia
(Woolworthsgroup.com.au.2019). The mission of the company is to deliver the best products and
services in convenience, value and quality to its customers. The company has approximately
201,000 team members in their organization who work relentlessly to provide premium service
and assistance to the customers as well as the potential customers in order to be remarkable in
the arena of customer satisfaction (Keith 2012). The vision of Woolworths Group is that to put
itself into the first position in retail sector among the customers all over the world. Among the
basic objectives of Woolworths Group Limited, there is a separate place entitled for corporate
responsibility. The Woolworths Group Limited has built a framework of Corporate
Responsibility Strategy 2020 which is widely based on People, Planet, Prosperity. According to
the Corporate Responsibility Strategy 2020 taken up by the respective company in 2015, under
the section of People, the company has formulated policies of encouraging diversity by striving
for gender equality, providing 40% position in the organization to women with a uniform and
equal salary for both men and women in the organization and encouraging Indigenous people of
Australia in joining the organization and working together with the mainstream population. In
the prosperity section of Woolworths Group, the need for sustainable, healthy and amicable
products for safety and security of the customers has been highlighted. A fair and amicable
relationship and commitment with the suppliers has also been mentioned in the corporate
responsibility report (Woolworthsgroup.com.au.2018).

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Question 2
Woolworths Group, Australia has taken up, in their recent sustainability report that has
been launched in February 2017, Woolworths Group 2020 commitments widely termed as
People, Planet, Prosperity to bring in sustainable development of the organization internally as
well as externally. The project named People, Planet, Prosperity has been built by Woolworths
Group in order to engage itself with customers, communities, supply chain and team members as
well as catering to the environmental needs by making efforts in minimizing the environmental
impact of their operations. According to the “People, Planet, Prosperity” project, under the
department of People, Woolworths Group has been efficiently working to bring diversity as well
as gender equality and neutrality in the workplace. The aim of the project is to not only bring
diverse communities, ethnicities and nationalities in the organization including Indigenous
Torres Strait islanders (Australian aboriginals) in the workforce, but also representation of
women in higher designations inside the organization. Woolworths has successfully operated the
diversity plan by winning Gold Tier Employer Status in Australian Workforce Equality Index
(AWEI) for the exclusive inclusion of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex people
in the organization. The initiative named Proud@ Woolworths Group Network which was
exclusively meant for the LGBTQ community has apparently been a success and has become an
example of a role model of diversity in an organization all over the world. Under the department
of Planet, Woolworths has been designated as the first retail partner to the New South Wales
Container Deposit Scheme Network Operator with an aim to provide a voucher redemption
solution for customers and the roll out of reverse vending machines across New South Wales.
Woolworths Group has also expanded their partnership with REDcycle (waste processor) in
order to initiate soft plastics recycle program among the customers (functional as well as
potential) to make them aware of the importance of Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. The animal

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welfare principles taken up by Woolworths Group as their sustainability measures in their
Sustainability Report are: 1. Freedom from hunger and thirst, 2. Freedom from discomfort 3.
Freedom from pain, injury or disease, 4. Freedom to express normal behavior, 5. Freedom from
fear and distress. The Global Business Framework of Farm Animal Welfare (BBFAW) has
identified and recognized Woolworths’ progressive initiatives regarding implementing farm
animal welfare improvements within as well as outside their production. Woolworths Group has
identified its progress and marked itself at Tier 3 out of six tiers in representing leading
performance as retailers in animal welfare arena of Australia. With the help of good governance
and performance reporting, Woolworths has successfully launched itself to be one of the top
companies of Australia working relentlessly for animal rights. In the 2020 Sustainability strategy
of Woolworths Group, the company has been diligently committed to use science-based targets
(SBT) which are emission reducing targets ensuring de-carbonization which aims at keeping the
temperature below 2 degree celcious compared to the temperature of pre-industrial levels.
Woolworths Group has been immensely helped by the implementation of IGNITION (Integrated
Software Platform for SCADA system) at Vinpac International and Dorris Estate Winery
enabling them to increase sustainability efficiencies in their business operations by the design of
thermodynamic models in order to reduce energy use. Under the department of Prosperity,
Woolworths Group has initiated “Woolworths earn and learn program” which enables schools
and primary learning centers obtain plethora of educational resources, which includes sports,
mathematics, science and art equipments in order to serve the communities and society around
the company. Presently, it is calculated that approximately $50 million requisite products have
been provided in schools of New Zealand. The Royal Flying Doctor Service taken up by