Kaufland has joined its Schwarz Group stablemate Lidl in announcing plans to be net zero by 2050 across its entire value chain, including Scope 3 emissions.
By 2030, Kaufland is aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from its own activities (Scope 1 and 2) by 80% compared to 2019, before accelerating its efforts and pushing on to net zero.
The retailer noted that it plans to work closely with its suppliers, partners and the wider agricultural chain to achieve its targets.
Supplier Platform
“To achieve this goal, we support our suppliers through a supplier platform that offers information materials and events to help them evaluate their carbon footprint and set their own climate goals," commented Kaufland spokesperson Renata Maierl.
"The majority of greenhouse gas emissions do not occur directly in our stores, but in previous and downstream parts of the value chain, such as growing, manufacturing, transporting and using or processing the products sold at the end of their life cycle. [...] That's why we want to work with our supply chain partners to develop solutions that will allow us to contribute to mitigating climate change."
Short-Term Target
In the short-term, Kaufland has set a target of reducing emissions from energy and industry – in other words, emissions associated with processing, transport, consumption and recycling – by 42.4% by 2034.
It is also aiming for suppliers that account for 80% of Scope 3 emissions to set their climate targets by 2026 under the Science-Based Targets Initiative (SBTi).
To date, 38% of Kaufland's Scope 3 emissions have come from suppliers that have set emission reduction targets based on SBTi.
"Achieving net zero emissions by 2050 is an ambitious goal, but we can manage it together," Maierl added.
