Towards Zero Waste and Zero Hunger with Coles

As one of Australia’s leading retailers, Coles has been partnering with SecondBite since 2011 to rescue unsold food that may otherwise have gone to waste.

Through our Direct Delivery model, we collect edible, unsold food from Coles supermarkets and distribution centres, which we aggregate, sort and distribute to our food relief agency network. Through our Community Connect model, SecondBite connects food relief agency partners to their local supermarkets to make regular collections.

In FY19/20, Coles provided over 15.5 million kilos of food to SecondBite.

By donating food products to SecondBite from distribution centres and local supermarkets, Coles makes a significant contribution to SecondBite’s mission of ending waste and ending hunger in Australia.

Our national partnership is one of shared value, with both Coles and SecondBite enjoying positive impacts.

Over the years, our national partnership with Coles has led to a major expansion of SecondBite’s operations ad reach across Australia. The donations and support we receive from Coles enables us to continue benefiting our agency partners, people in need, and the environment.

At the same time, our partnership creates positive impacts for Coles. By providing food for people in need, SecondBite provides an opportunity for Coles to deliver on its strategic vision to sustainably support the health and wellbeing of people around Australia.

“As one of Australia’s largest companies, we believe we have a responsibility to support our community and minimise our impact on the environment. Our partnership with SecondBite ensures we live up to that responsibility…we are not just providing vulnerable Australians with access to free, nutritious meals, but we’re also reducing our waste. Coles’ partnership with SecondBite is central to our strategy of becoming Australia’s most sustainable supermarket and helping all Australians to lead healthier, happier lives.”

Sally Fielke, General Manager Corporate Affairs, Coles

SecondBite provides Coles with a consistent waste diversion channel that makes the most of unsold food. Not only does this support the financial sustainability of Coles’ waste management, but it also helps Coles to achieve its own environmental sustainability objectives.

“Food security and reducing food waste are important social and environmental issues. Thanks to our partnership with SecondBite, we’ve been able to pursue our objective of reducing waste by donating our unsold, edible food and diverting it from landfill.”

Wade Mosse, Operations Sustainability Manager, Coles.

Alongside these benefits, the SecondBite partnership connects Coles staf team members to create a greater sense of meaningfulness in their work, as they create positive social impact for their community. Those engaged in purpose-driven work are more likely to be engaged, motivated and committed as employees.

SecondBite’s Community Connect Model creates additional opportunities for store team members to get to know the staff and volunteers at their partnered food relief agencies.

“Through our partnership with SecondBite, we’ve established a great relationship with Food Pantry at Marrickville and provide unsold food directly to the charity every week. They always tell us how the food is supporting local people facing hard times and our team feels really proud that we’ve been able to help – it plays a big part of our store culture.”

Eva Kritikos, Store Manager at Coles Online store in Alexandria, NSW

The Coles and SecondBite partnership demonstrates how together we can amplify positive social, economic and environmental impacts, while enjoying the benefits of a partnership that creates meaningful value for both organisations.