Finnish retailer Kesko has announced that it is committed to reducing its scope one and two emissions by 18% by 2025, using 2015 as its base year. It also intends to lower its scope three emissions by 90%.
Scope one emissions are direct emissions from transportation and Kesko's own heat production. Scope two emissions are indirect emissions from the consumption of purchased electricity and the generation of heat. Scope three emissions are other indirect emissions from the manufacture of products sold.
Emission targets will be validated against the criteria of the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), and a list of approved companies will be published on the SBTi website.
Science Based Targets
SBTi is a collaboration between the Carbon Disclosure Project, the World Resources Institute, the World Wildlife Fund, and the UN Global Compact. SBTi ‘enables companies to state their commitment to the target of below 2°C global warming as set by the Paris Climate Agreement’.
Matti Kalervo, Kesko's vice president for corporate responsibility, said, ”Setting science-based targets supports the K Group in its commitment to the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. In our responsibility programme, we have committed ourselves to the mitigation of climate change and the promotion of renewable energy production.”
Kesko is increasing its range of hybrid and electric cars to reduce its scope one emissions, and is introducing remote-monitored LED lighting, lids and doors into its refrigerator fixtures to tackle scope two emissions.
The retailer added that the agreement with the SBTi covers all of the company’s stores.
© 2017 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Aidan O’Sullivan. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
