WE CARE ABOUT OUR IMPACT
2028 Sustainability Goals
Energy
Prioritize clean, renewable energy, improve efficiency, and strengthen resilience.
Circular Systems
Reduce waste through composting, recycling, food recovery, and reuse programs.
Reduce Harmful Materials
Reduce plastics, refrigerants, and materials with environmental and health impacts.
Water & Ecosystem Health
Conserve water and support practices that protect natural ecosystems.
Staff, Community, & Transparency
Empower staff, engage our community, and share our progress transparently.
Sustainability has always been at the heart of BriarPatch.
Our five focus areas for the next few years will guide our efforts to reduce environmental impact, strengthen community resilience, and support a thriving local food system. Together, these goals advance our long-term commitment to net-zero operations by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, conserving resources, and creating lasting benefits for our community and environment.
Prioritize Clean, Efficient Energy & Build Climate Resilience
We are committed to reducing the environmental impact of our operations through energy efficiency, renewable energy, and long-term climate resilience.
We’ve already achieved one of our largest sustainability milestones: both BriarPatch locations operate on 100% renewable electricity. Our Grass Valley store generates approximately 43% of its electricity through our on-site solar system, while the remaining electricity at both stores is sourced through Pioneer’s Green100 renewable energy program.
We continue to invest in energy-efficient equipment and infrastructure that lowers energy demand while improving operational performance. Whenever feasible, we prioritize Energy Star-rated and energy-efficient equipment and seek opportunities to improve building efficiency. These investments help reduce operating costs, support greenhouse gas reduction efforts, and strengthen the resilience of our stores.
We also support clean transportation through public EV charging stations. In 2025, more than 6,100 charging sessions helped avoid an estimated 94,000 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions.
As climate-related disruptions become more common, we continue evaluating backup power options and other infrastructure improvements that can help our stores remain operational during emergencies and power outages.
Support Circular Systems
We believe valuable resources should be reused, recovered, recycled, composted, or donated whenever possible.
Our goal is to create circular systems that reduce landfill waste while supporting local farms, community organizations, and recycling partners. In 2025, BriarPatch diverted 67% of its waste from the landfill, keeping approximately 449 tons of material in productive use.
Food recovery is one of our most impactful programs. Unsold edible food is donated whenever possible, while food scraps and other organics are returned to local farms for animal feed and composting. In 2025, more than 206,000 pounds of food waste were diverted to local farms, including 115,050 pounds from Grass Valley and 91,522 pounds from Auburn. We also donated more than 36,000 pounds of food to local organizations and hunger-relief programs. Other waste diversion efforts included:
- 183 tons of cardboard recycled
- 6 tons of waxed cardboard recycled
- 5.5 tons of plastic film and plastic bags
- 1 ton of batteries recycled
- 1.5 tons of equipment and materials donated for reuse through local organizations
By keeping materials in circulation and supporting local recovery systems, we reduce waste, conserve resources, and strengthen our regional circular economy.
Reduce Harmful Materials
We work to reduce materials that have significant environmental and human health impacts while maintaining safe and effective operations.
A major focus is reducing single-use plastics. In 2025, plastic represented 30% of our in-house single-use packaging, down from 40% in 2021. Through thoughtful purchasing decisions and ongoing evaluation of alternatives, we continue transitioning toward reusable, recyclable, and renewable-material options whenever practical.
We support these efforts through purchasing, merchandising, and sourcing policies that promote transparency and help reduce environmental and health impacts throughout our supply chain. Our Packaging Policy guides decisions for in-house packaging materials, while our Merchandising Policy establishes standards for products sold throughout the store.
We are also addressing one of the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions in the grocery industry: refrigerants. Our Auburn store utilizes a natural CO₂ refrigeration system that eliminates more than 99% of refrigerant-related emissions. At our Grass Valley store, we recently completed a major refrigeration retrofit that is expected to reduce HFC-related emissions by approximately 70%. In addition, we conduct proactive maintenance and regular leak detection to further reduce emissions and improve system performance.
Practice Water Stewardship & Protect Ecosystem Health
Water is one of our region’s most valuable natural resources, and we are committed to using it responsibly.
Through improvements to our water filtration systems and collaboration with service providers, we have reduced water use by 37% since 2021, saving more than one million gallons of water annually across our operations. We continue to identify opportunities to improve water efficiency through equipment upgrades, leak detection, operational improvements, and partnerships with service providers.
Protecting ecosystem health extends beyond our facilities. Through responsible merchandising, sourcing standards, and supplier partnerships, we support products and practices that help protect healthy soils, clean water, biodiversity, and resilient agricultural systems. These expectations are reflected in our Merchandising Policy and other sourcing standards that guide product selection throughout the Co-op.
Our definition of local reflects this commitment. By supporting producers throughout the Sacramento River watershed, we help strengthen the connection between healthy ecosystems, local agriculture, and community resilience.
Empower Staff, Lead in Community, & Ensure Transparency
Sustainability at BriarPatch goes beyond environmental impact. We believe a sustainable future depends on supporting healthy communities and a resilient local economy. This approach guides everything from environmental initiatives and local purchasing programs to community partnerships, staff engagement, and transparent reporting.
We strive to empower staff with the knowledge and resources needed to confidently engage customers on sustainability topics and integrate sustainable practices throughout daily operations.
Beyond our stores, we seek to lead by example through partnerships, education, collaboration, and community engagement. In 2025, BriarPatch partnered with 188 local suppliers and farms, including 37 farms selling directly to the Co-op, helping strengthen a resilient regional food system. We also worked with 18 local farms through our Co-op Planned Production program to support local agriculture and long-term food security.
Community impact extends beyond our supply chain. BriarPatch staff contributed more than 26,500 volunteer hours in support of community organizations and initiatives. Through our Apples for Gardens program, customers purchased more than 207,000 pounds of apples, helping raise more than $20,000 for local school and community garden projects.
Transparency is a core part of our commitment. We aim to regularly publish policies, standards, impact reports, and sustainability updates so Owners, shoppers, staff, and community members can follow our progress and hold us accountable. By openly sharing both achievements and opportunities for improvement, we aim to build trust and encourage collective action toward a more sustainable future.
Learn More: 2025 Impact Report, 2024 Impact Report.
OUR GREEN BUILDING
BriarPatch Co-op is Nevada County’s first commercial building certified by the US Green Building Council’s LEED®: Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program. The purpose of the LEED® program is to promote sustainable, “green” building design, and ecological approaches to site planning and land development.
Poised for Change
According to National Cooperative Grocers, food production including agriculture, manufacturing, transportation and waste, is responsible for 25% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Fortunately, co-ops across the country are prioritizing and building a more sustainable food system.
Part of a Movement
Our commitment to Climate Action is interwoven throughout everything we do. We constantly seek to act as a leader among local businesses and food co-ops nationally and contribute to environmental stewardship through our business practices, and we’d love to hear your thoughts on our sustainability efforts.
Stronger together
As a member of the Climate Collaborative, we’ve pledged to lower emissions by increasing energy efficiency, reducing food waste, transitioning toward sustainable packaging and supporting climate-friendly agricultural practices and policy.
We’ve also joined 160 businesses and Community Food Co-op urging lawmakers to take bold climate action.