Canada's Greenest Employers (2025) - Flipbook - Page 64
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CANADA'S GREENEST EMPLOYERS (2025)
At RONA, sustainability goes with optimization
W
ith a product
line heavy in
forest products,
home
improvement
items, construction supplies and
hardware, and a distribution
network serving some 425
corporate and affiliated stores
across the country, RONA Inc. has
plenty of opportunity to take a
leadership role in environmental
stewardship. It’s an opportunity
the company actively works to
take full advantage of.
On the transportation
and delivery side of the
business, there are many
things we do on a small
scale that make a difference
in reducing our carbon
footprint. Opportunities are
numerous.
some of the newest environmental
efficiencies are taking place.
“On the transportation and
delivery side of the business, there
are many things we do on a small
scale that make a difference in
reducing our carbon footprint.
Opportunities are numerous,” says
Brian Cole, director, transportation and fleet management.
“For example, we order our
trucks with various features that
help make them more efficient,”
he says. That includes installing
engine heaters so that delivery
drivers can turn their engines off
during deliveries on cold days.
Boom trucks that make heavy
deliveries using onboard cranes
now feature remote controls that
allow the driver to control the
truck while outside using the
crane.
“Some companies continue to
run trucks for 15 or 20 minutes
while they’re unloading drywall or
lumber,” says Cole. “In our case,
we can shut the truck off and on
again, reducing that carbon
footprint. It’s an investment, one
that we feel is the right thing to do
for the environment.”
Charles Daharry is RONA’s
national manager of transportation carrier management. He says
that simple operational adjustments can yield significant
benefits — for example,
consolidating smaller shipments
to multiple stores can fill up a
truck only three-quarters full.
RONA also co-ordinates store
deliveries with supplier pickups to
minimize empty mileage on
return trips.
Daharry says RONA has
spearheaded the use of long
combination vehicles (LCVs)
— trucks pulling more than one
trailer on long hauls — to increase
fuel efficiency. RONA also
deployed a transportation
management system between
suppliers, distribution centres and
stores, and set up a tracking
system to automate delivery routes
for 40 stores in Ontario and
Québec.
“We recently started a pilot
project to replenish our Ontario
stores from Milton, near Toronto,
rather than our distribution centre
in Boucherville, Québec,” says
Daharry. “In some cases, we’ve cut
as much as 500 kilometres off
delivery routes.” The company has
also transitioned to intermodal
transportation for goods travelling
from Québec to Atlantic Canada
by adjusting lead times and
processes to accommodate the
change.
— Brian Cole
Director, Transportation
and Fleet Management
In recent years, RONA has
instituted environmental
initiatives in its stores across
Canada, including waste
management and energy
efficiency programs. The company
has an in-store product take-back
program to recycle items like
paint, batteries, CFL bulbs and
fluorescent light tubes. RONA’s
popular ECO program identifies
thousands of products that have
environmental attributes to help
consumers make sound environmental choices. But it’s in the way
the company moves products that
RONA has a distribution network that supports its retail stores in meeting customer needs while adopting
best practices for the environment.
