Sainsbury’s has committed to decarbonise its operations by 2040 and has set aside £1bn to fund its transition. It will also put pressure on suppliers to reduce carbon emissions.
Sainsbury’s said the funds would cover scope one and two emissions. It will produce science based targets with the Carbon Trust and report every six months.
The retailer claims it has reduced emissions 35 per cent over the last 15 years despite significantly increasing store footprint.
Sainsbury’s must now significantly step up emissions reduction. To do so it will increase use of renewable energy and deployment of energy efficiency measures, with all stores using LED lighting by 2022. The retailer said it would ensure 25 per cent of its fleet use zero or low carbon fuels by 2025.
CEO Mike Coupe said decarbonising by 2050 “isn’t soon enough”.
“We recognise that we have a once in a lifetime opportunity to make the changes needed to help the planet exist sustainably. We have over 27 million customers each week and almost 180,000 colleagues and we hope that we can collaborate across industries and sectors to help create momentum and drive meaningful change,” said Coupe. “Only when the trajectory for global warming slows to a maximum of 1.5 degrees will we all know that we can truly live well for less now and in the future.”
See further details here.
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