Ahold Delhaize has launched what it describes as 'open source climate hubs' across its European retail banners, where suppliers can gain insights into carbon emissions, as well as accessing resources related to emissions reduction.
The climate hubs, introduced by retailers including Albert, Albert Heijn, Alfa Beta, Delhaize Belgium, Etos, Gall & Gall, Maxi and Mega Image, are part of Ahold Delhaize's scope 3 decarbonisation pathway, the retailer said in a statement.
The open-source platforms will aim to support suppliers in commencing their decarbonisation journey, on a step-by-step basis, including instruction videos as well as links to external resources such as the Greenhouse Gas Protocol and Science Based Target initiative (SBTi).
'Thousands Of Suppliers'
“Our value chain is a complex system with thousands of suppliers, producers and farmers around the world supplying hundreds of thousands of products," commented Jan Ernst de Groot, CLO and CSO, Ahold Delhaize.
"These products and their related packaging materials, in turn, are composed of materials and ingredients from other suppliers. Mapping the emissions from all these products and materials is a major challenge, for which we need input from our partners. The climate hubs are a great way to encourage our suppliers to track and reduce their emissions.”
Emissions Reduction Targets
Ahold Delhaize has established carbon emission reduction targets for scope 1, 2 and 3 in line with the UN’s goal to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, with its scope 1 and 2 targets already validated by the SBTi.
According to the retailer, the majority of emissions generated in its brands’ value chains are from the products and services purchased from suppliers – some 88.1% of scope 3 emissions.
It said that it is seeking to encourage suppliers to engage in emissions reduction efforts in areas such as livestock farming, raw material sourcing, processing, transport, packaging, deforestation, food waste reduction and agricultural practices.
“What initially commenced as an Albert Heijn initiative, was quickly adapted by Delhaize and eventually arrived at our brands across Europe," added Wouter Kolk, CEO Ahold Delhaize Europe & Indonesia. "This is a great example of the local collaboration between the brands and how we can learn from each other’s best practices.”
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