IRVING, Texas -- 7-Eleven Inc. is ramping up its reduced-emissions fuel program—and taking it across the border.
The retailer first began testing the Renew reduced-emissions program in partnership with GreenPrint in August 2017. For each gallon of gasoline purchased by a customer of these stores, GreenPrint has calculated the equivalent tailpipe emissions and invested in certified carbon-reduction projects to offset up to 30% of them. These programs include reforestation, green-scape, wildlife-protection and renewable energy projects.
The Renew program was initially in test at 95 7-Eleven sites in Portland, Ore.; Seattle; and Madison, Wis. Since then, it has expanded to Milwaukee. In that time, 7-Eleven and GreenPrint oversaw the planting of 70,000 trees and the offset of 24,000 metric tons of carbon emissions.
This September, 7-Eleven is expanding Renew to 142 more fueling sites and 698 non-fuel locations in California, Oregon and Washington, as well as British Columbia in Canada.
“We’ve expanded the Renew program to communities where customers particularly value sustainability,” said Chris Tanco, executive vice president and COO of 7-Eleven. “As a result of customers’ 7-Eleven fuel purchases, citizens can expect reduced emissions as well as our commitment to plant more trees in the area. Our expansion to more stores in the U.S. and Canada allows 7-Eleven to continue to make a positive impact on the local communities in which we operate.”
Thus far, the Renew program has led to the planting of more than 1,250 acres of trees, which correlate to the absorption of 7,500 tons of carbon dioxide in the past year. In the next year, 7-Eleven and GreenPrint will plant more than 100,000 additional trees in the United States in partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation as part of the Plant It Forward program. Customers in Washington, Oregon and Wisconsin can claim a tree to plant for themselves and a friend or family member. The partners will also work with Tree Canada to plant at least 10,000 trees in Canada.
In 2016, 7-Eleven began working with Conservation International (CI) to create measurable corporate social-responsibility goals to help the chain reduce its environmental footprint, with a focus on the planet, its products and people. It also joined CI's Business and Sustainability Council, which brings corporate leaders together to discuss mutually beneficial ways to reduce their businesses’ environmental impact.
Atlanta-based GreenPrint’s programs worldwide help reduce emissions on over 1 billion gallons of fuel each year at hundreds of retail sites and 100,000 corporate and municipal fleets in 12 countries. In 2018, GreenPrint has also launched reduced-emissions programs with SpeedyQ Markets, Giant Martin’s, Tri-Star Energy and Home Service Oil.
Irving, Texas-based 7-Eleven operates, licenses or franchises more than 66,000 stores globally. The retailer is No. 1 on CSP's 2018 Top 202 ranking of U.S. c-store chains by number of company-owned retail outlets.
Members help make our journalism possible. Become a CSP member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.