Sainsbury’s has strengthened its commitment to helping tackle the climate crisis by pledging to become Net Zero in its own operations by 2035, five years earlier than its original target.
The retailer claims that it has cut its carbon footprint by 47% in the last 17 years despite its space increasing by over 40%. In the last year, Sainsbury’s has reduced its absolute greenhouse gas emissions from its own operations by 25,580 tCO2e, year-on-year.
To help achieve its updated target, Sainsbury’s will now install complete LED lighting across its supermarkets by the end of this year, reducing lighting energy consumption by 70% and store energy consumption by 20%.
Meanwhile, the company will only use renewable energy across its entire estate by the end of the year. It has also committed to the long-term purchasing of renewable energy from new wind farms and solar projects to be built over the next two years, significantly reducing its reliance on fossil fuels.
The United Nations this year warned that global warming of 2 degrees will be exceeded during the 21st century unless emissions are rapidly reduced in the coming decades. Sainsbury’s highlighted that it has made significant progress in the last two years, reducing its greenhouse gas emissions in its own operations by 14%. However, to meet its new target, the company stated that it will need to collaborate with the government, industry, suppliers, and academia to share knowledge and find solutions.
As a retailer sourcing over 30,000 products from over 70 countries, Sainsbury’s is also working collaboratively with its suppliers to set their own ambitious net zero commitments, with the goal of reducing Scope 3 emissions in its value chain by 30% by 2030. This includes reducing emissions from purchased goods and services sold, upstream transport and distribution and the direct use of sold products. This year Sainsbury’s has written to 400 of its top suppliers asking them to report and disclose against their carbon reduction targets.
Simon Roberts, CEO of Sainsbury’s, said: “The clock is ticking. Climate targets matter – but action to deliver them matters more. The progress we’ve made has enabled us to accelerate our own targets and move faster to cut our emissions. We recognise that we not only have a responsibility to our colleagues and the communities we serve in the UK, but to those we source from globally, to reduce the impact our business has on the environment. The United Nations report made clear that we all need to step up our efforts and be ambitious in our pursuits to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees.
“We have a strong heritage in reducing our own emissions and are collaborating closely with our suppliers to ensure we’re driving positive change across our value chain too. Tackling the climate emergency requires collaborative and transformational thinking across industry and government, and a willingness to work together and share learnings globally, so that we can all take meaningful, immediate action. I’m really proud that Sainsbury’s continues to lead the charge and encourage others to change and evolve with us for the benefit of all.”
Sainsbury’s is the Principal Supermarket Partner at next month’s COP26 in Glasgow. The company is calling on other retailers and businesses to join it on the journey to tackle climate change.
