Sustainability in Grocery Stores: What Shoppers Expect in {{year}}

In 2026, more shoppers are paying attention to how the products they buy affect the planet. 

While sustainability discussions often focus on niches like fast fashion or tech recycling, grocery stores play a much more visible role in shoppers’ day-to-day choices.

When you’ve run your store the same way for years, though, it’s not always clear which changes matter most — or where to start.

Let’s break down exactly what shoppers expect when it comes to sustainability in grocery stores, so you can make actionable changes without having to overhaul your operations.

4 Things Shoppers Expect From Sustainable Grocery Stores in 2026

First, what does it mean to run a sustainable grocery store? 

It’s not as simple as simply swapping plastic for paper — sustainability practices touch every part of your grocery business, from managing food waste and packaging choices to energy use in lighting and refrigeration.

Sustainable stores balance economic performance with environmental responsibility, reusability, and ethical sourcing, while still keeping the shopping experience engaging and affordable. 

Many also prioritize stocking local products, supporting their communities, and creating fair, respectful conditions for employees, all of which reinforce a sustainable brand.

Let’s break down four common expectations sustainable grocery shoppers have in 2026 — and how your store can meet them without breaking the bank.

1. Reduced Food Waste

Food waste remains one of the biggest challenges in the grocery sector, with roughly 30% of food in U.S. grocery stores discarded each year. 

A big part of reducing these losses comes from concrete actions your store takes — from better inventory management and promotions to buying seasonally. 

Customer demand, produce arriving out of peak condition, and fluctuations in traffic make managing waste difficult, but precise planning and creative strategies can make a real difference.

Here’s how your grocery store can tackle food waste more effectively: 

• Use sales and inventory data from your point of sale (POS) system to forecast demand and avoid overstocking perishables.
• Apply dynamic pricing or markdowns to short-life items to increase sales before spoilage, using tools such as POS-based markdown alerts.
• Partner with local food banks or charities to donate surplus produce, bakery items, or prepared foods.
• Sell discounted “imperfect” fruits and vegetables to reduce waste and appeal to more budget-conscious customers.
• Implement a composting program by partnering with local composters to divert unsellable produce and food scraps from landfills. 
• Track shrink through your POS to identify trends and adjust ordering or promotions accordingly.

Many of these changes take time to show results, so monitor how incremental adjustments affect both profits and customer satisfaction. If you set up an imperfect produce section, for example, are shoppers gravitating toward it? Or would a different promotion, like bundling it in recipe kits, increase overall appeal? 

POS and inventory data shows you which products and sections get the most traffic and purchases, allowing you to plan smarter orders and promotions without cutting into revenue.

2. Less Plastic, More Recyclable Packaging

“Reduce, reuse, recycle” — we’re all taught it, yet many retailers struggle to follow through, especially with the volume of packaging arriving in each week’s shipment. 

But with 37% of North American consumers avoiding certain grocery products due to excessive plastic packaging, your store’s visible efforts to reduce plastic and promote recycling matter more than ever.

Here’s how your grocery store can act on this expectation:

• Offer bulk bins for staples like grains, nuts, and coffee, and ensure your POS can sell by weight and handle tare.
• Encourage shoppers to bring their own bags and provide clear guidance at the store on what’s accepted.
• Stock products in recyclable, compostable, or minimal packaging whenever possible, and prioritize suppliers that share your sustainability goals.

For your own operations, consider where you generate the most plastic waste each week — whether from incoming deliveries, overpackaged wholesale produce, shrink-wrapped trays for meat and seafood, or single-use containers for prepared foods. 

Additionally, becoming familiar with different recycling codes and your local community’s recycling procedures helps you make smarter decisions about what you can realistically recycle and how to communicate that to staff and customers properly.

(Image source: Method Recycling)

With that knowledge, you can also see which suppliers contribute the most non-recyclable packaging and explore alternatives with them, such as opportunities to consolidate shipments or reduce excess wrapping.

3. Smart Energy and Water Usage

Running a grocery store uses a surprising amount of energy and water. Washing produce, opening and closing freezer doors while stocking or shopping, and powering fluorescent lighting all add up.

While some of this usage is unavoidable, there are steps you can take to reduce waste behind the scenes — and even lower your electricity bill in the process. 

Related Read: 7 Innovative Small Grocery Store Ideas To Maximize Profits

Here are a few areas of sustainability your grocery store can focus on: 

• Switch to LED lighting and use motion sensors in low-traffic areas to cut unnecessary electricity use.
• Add night covers to freezers and coolers to limit energy loss, and adjust stocking schedules to minimize the time these doors remain open.
• Regularly check refrigeration, HVAC, and other equipment to ensure each runs efficiently and doesn’t consume excess energy. 
• Install smart faucets or automated dispensers in prep and dishwashing areas to reduce water use and track consumption over time.

While these behind-the-scenes changes add up, they’re only scratching the surface of energy and water savings. Upgrading to energy-efficient refrigeration, lighting, and HVAC systems can cut utility costs while minimizing your store’s environmental footprint.

You can also conduct an energy audit to see what equipment consumes the most energy. Then, use that data to negotiate with vendors and take advantage of utility incentives, like cash rebates for installing energy-efficient equipment or discounted rates on high-efficiency units. 

4. Responsibly-Sourced Products

Responsible sourcing now covers more than organic labels or country-of-origin signs. Shoppers increasingly look for transparency around labor practices, animal welfare, and environmental impact — and they want to understand how products move from producer to shelf.

Supermarkets often rely on long, global supply chains to maintain year-round availability and consistent pricing, which can make responsible sourcing harder to verify and communicate. 

Independent grocers have an advantage, with shorter supply chains and regional suppliers making it easy to trace back exactly where food comes from and explain its origins to shoppers.

Here’s how your grocery store can source more responsibly:

• Stock local and regional products to reduce transportation emissions and support your community.
• Offer certified products like organic and Fair Trade to clearly communicate your responsible sourcing.
• Partner directly with farmers and producers to secure seasonal or small-batch items, improving freshness and reducing waste.
• Highlight sourcing practices on shelves, at the register, or via receipts so shoppers clearly understand your sustainability efforts.

Sustainable sourcing benefits both your business and your community, keeping more dollars within the local economy while building trust with shoppers who care about where their food comes from.

How To Conduct a Sustainability Audit at Your Grocery Store

Even with all the information above, it can be challenging to know where to start and which steps will make the biggest impact. A sustainability audit helps you prioritize actions, identify high-impact areas, and track improvements over time.

Start by defining your goals. Are you focusing on reducing food waste, cutting plastic, conserving energy and water, or sourcing products more responsibly? 

Next, assemble a small team of frontline staff and managers who can provide diverse perspectives and gather past bills, including your utility bills, waste logs, and supplier info, so you have a baseline of where you currently stand.

Then, create a checklist to guide your audit. Here’s an example of what to include:

Sustainability Audit Checklist ✅

Analyze the results to identify your highest-impact areas and develop an action plan with clear goals and measurable outcomes, such as reducing food waste by 15% in six months or increasing recyclable packaging by 25% in a year. 

Get the Right Tools for Grocery Store Sustainability

Sustainability in grocery stores will continue to become more important as younger generations prioritize transparency and ethical practices in their shopping decisions. Instead of behaving reactively, you can proactively set your business up for success, appealing to both customers and your bottom line.

But the right tools are what make it all possible. To monitor food waste, inventory, and supplier sourcing, you need an industry-specific POS system like IT Retail. With features designed specifically for grocery stores like yours, it gives you all the data and control necessary to make meaningful sustainability improvements.

Schedule a free, personalized demo today to see how IT Retail can help your grocery store go greener in 2026.