Loblaw releases 2nd annual Corporate Social Responsibility Report

Brampton headquartered Loblaw Companies Limited recently released its second annual Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) report. The 2008 Loblaw Companies Limited Corporate Social Responsibility Report: The Way We Do Business outlines the Company's approach to social responsibility and presents the goals, achievements and challenges on its CSR commitments.

"Playing a positive role in the communities in which we operate isn't new for Loblaw. We are proud of our history and our responsible approach to business. What is new is the how we think about CSR. We have evolved to focus our objectives into specific targets where Loblaw can have the greatest impact and moved to a more systematic approach by translating them into concrete and measureable actions. We are pleased with our progress this year but recognize that there is still a lot to do," said Galen G. Weston, Executive Chairman, Loblaw Companies Limited. "We hope our colleagues and customers and other stakeholders will take a moment and read Loblaw's CSR report online. We encourage feedback and welcome the dialogue so that we can continue to build our record of accountability."

At the end of 2006, Loblaw set out to "Make Loblaw the Best Again". At that time the Company developed five pillars of corporate social responsibility that are driven by the company's mission to be Canada's best
food, health and home retailer by exceeding customer expectations through innovative products at great prices. The five pillars are: Respect the Environment; Source with Integrity; Make a Positive Difference in our
Community; Reflect our Nation's Diversity; and Be a Great Place to Work.

"In 2007, we worked steadily to set strategy and targets, confirm our approach, including benchmarking ourselves against international CSR leaders and establish ways to weave our pillars into the fabric of our organization," says Daniel Tremblay, Senior Vice President, Corporate Social Responsibility, Loblaw Companies Limited. "In 2008, we continued to build on that solid foundation while becoming more diligent and vocal in communicating what we have been doing and what we still need to do. We believe that this will help
our stakeholders know what we stand for and how they can partner with us to effect positive change."

Select Highlights from 2008:

• Diverted 328 million plastic shopping bags from landfill

• Reduced fuel consumption by 2.1 per cent per kilometer

• Diverted 70 per cent of corporate banner store waste from landfill in Ontario and Nova Scotia

• Reduced the size of flyers, thereby saving 5,200 tonnes of paper and more than 62,400 trees

• Opened an environmental flagship store in Scarborough, Ontario, built to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards

• Grew sales of Canadian produce by 10 per cent during our Grown Close to Home(TM) campaign

• Launched nine new Fair Trade Products, 10 seafood products certified by the Marine Stewardship Council and 68 new PC(R) Blue Menu(R) products

• Granted $9.5 million to more than 1,000 families across Canada through President's Choice(R) Children's Charity

• Announced a $3 million donation to Breakfast for Learning over the next three years through President's Choice(R) Children's Charity

• Established an Inclusion Council to champion diversity in the Company

• Accepted 3 million flower pots and flats for recycling, (through out store return program)

• Accepted 3 million flower pots and flats for recycling, (through out store return program)

In the development of Loblaw's social responsibility roadmap, Canadian Business for Social Responsibility (CBSR), a national not-for-profit member organization of businesses committed to implementing corporate social responsibility in Canada, assisted the company in assessing current practices and identifying gaps, as well as reviewing strategy and providing input into identified priorities.

"The release of Loblaw's 2008 CSR Report clearly shows the commitment of this leading Canadian company to sustainable business practices, as well as the significant steps they have made since they began reporting. Loblaw is taking a leadership role, demonstrating CSR best practices and in turn impacting their customers, employees and supply chain. CBSR is delighted to have supported Loblaw in both the development of strategy and the embedding of their principles into practice." says Adine Mees president and CEO, CBSR.

In an effort to reduce the amount of paper distributed, the report can be found online at http://www.loblaw.ca/csr.