Canadian Tire, Sobeys, IKEA Canada and Tim Hortons are among the winners of the inaugural Retail Sustainability Excellence Awards, announced by Retail Council of Canada (RCC) on October 28. The program recognizes sustainability initiatives involving retailers, consumer brands, restaurants and organizations across the retail supply chain.
RCC recognized 13 initiatives across 10 categories at a gala dinner at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, following its Retail Sustainability Conference. The organization reported 58 finalists in its winners announcement.
“The breadth and quality of this year’s winners is remarkable. These organizations are proud of their results, their programs, and the people driving change inside their businesses, and it shows in the work they have done,” said Kim Furlong, President and CEO of Retail Council of Canada.
Canadian Retailers Recognized for Sustainability Initiatives
Canadian Tire Corporation won in the Recycled Content Adoption category for a MotoMaster automotive oil pan project involving Canadian manufacturing and post-consumer recycled plastic. The company worked with EFS Plastics and EXI-Plast Custom Moulding on the initiative.
According to RCC’s finalist description, the project could avoid using up to 33 tonnes of plastic with sales comparable to those in 2023 and similar launch-season volumes. That figure is a projection, not a verified total of plastic already avoided.
IKEA Canada received the Reuse, Refill and Take-Back Program award for its furniture sell-back and resale initiative. RCC says the program has given more than 30,000 pieces of furniture a second life over two years, engaged more than 32,000 customers and provided over $1.9 million in store credit.
Sobeys Inc. was recognized for refrigeration decarbonization across its grocery store network. RCC reports a 37.83% reduction in emissions from refrigeration leaks since 2019, including an 8.29% year-over-year reduction in 2025, through modernization, lower-global-warming-potential refrigerants and improved system design.
Sobeys shared the Energy and Facilities Decarbonization Impact category with Bimbo Canada, recognized for its Rising to the Climate Challenge: Baking a Lower-Carbon Future initiative.
Tim Hortons received the Low-Carbon Logistics and Fleet Transition award for its distribution fleet electrification and charging infrastructure project. Its parent company, Restaurant Brands International, separately won the Supply Chain Impact category for a responsible sourcing and supply chain sustainability initiative.
Packaging, Recycling and Community Initiatives
Cascades won in the Innovative Sustainable Product and Packaging Design category for LithoURB, alongside Danone Canada’s “6-to-1” Packaging Innovation Project. Reynolds Consumer Products Canada shared the Recycled Content Adoption category with Canadian Tire for its initiative to bring 30% recycled content to Canada’s waste bag category.
Restaurant chain Ben & Florentine won the Back-of-Store Circularity and Operational Waste Diversion or Reduction category for From Crust to Customer Value. Henkel Canada Corporation received the Data, Transparency and Traceability Innovation award for End-to-End Transparency.
Éco Entreprises Québec was recognized in the PRO Excellence category for improvements to recycling performance and transparency associated with Québec’s modernized extended producer responsibility curbside recycling system. L’Oréal Canada received the Community Impact award for its “WITH and FOR”: A 360° Indigenous Reconciliation Strategy.
Individual Leadership Awards
RCC also honoured Kathleen McLaughlin, Executive Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer at Walmart Inc., as Sustainability Leader of the Year in the Retail category. Fisk Johnson, Chairman and CEO of SC Johnson, received the equivalent honour in the consumer packaged goods category.
“They have each advanced measurable environmental progress well beyond their own organizations, and we are proud to honour them,” Furlong said.
The winning initiatives were selected by an independent jury of retail and sustainability professionals, with judging focused on credibility, scalability and measurable impact demonstrated in 2025. RCC’s awards website provides additional information about the projects and selection criteria.
