Tesco is making a major push into solar energy and rolling out electric delivery vehicles after bringing forward a target for its UK business to reach net zero carbon emissions to 2035, 15 years earlier than planned.
Amid growing consumer demands for supermarkets and others retailer to take action on the protecting the environment, Tesco is launching a new partnership with renewable energy investor, Low Carbon, that will see the creation of three new solar farms in the UK. They will generate enough to power for nearly 45,000 three-bedroom homes, and help the retailer move towards its target of only using renewable electricity by 2030.
The project follows the supermarket’s announcement last year that it would begin sourcing renewable energy from five onshore windfarms. This is in addition to fitting thousands of solar panels across its UK store network, with 60 stores fitted out already.
Meanwhile, Tesco is rolling out 30 electric delivery vans in Greater London this month, with plans to have a fully electric home delivery fleet by 2028. The move comes at a time when the retailer is seeing surging demand for its delivery service which is placing a strain on its green credentials.
To support the wider adoption of electric vehicles, Tesco is also rolling out 2,400 charging points for its customers across 600 stores, with 400 stores due to be fitted with the chargers by the end of this year. By the time the programme has concluded, Tesco claims it will have boosted the UK’s electric charging network by 14%.
Tesco stated that the new initiatives will put it on course for net zero in its UK operations 15 years ahead of the UK government’s deadlines. Sainsbury’s and Asda are both targeting becoming net zero by 2040.
Tesco is also working with its suppliers to support them to report on and make their own carbon reduction commitments. It has set a deadline to reduce supply chain carbon emissions by 35% across food and manufacturing by 2030, and 15% for agriculture.
Jason Tarry, Tesco UK and ROI CEO commented: “In 12 months’ time, the UK will host the most critical climate change summit of the decade, known as COP26. At Tesco we want to play our part. That’s why we’ve brought forward our ambition to reach net zero in our UK operations by 15 years and made a series of new commitments to help us achieve that target, including reaching a new milestone today in our journey to using 100 per cent renewable energy by 2030.”
