Lidl Belgium has launched a programme aimed at helping suppliers in the country to draw up a CO2 reduction plan with the help of climate consultants.
The retailer has identified 60 suppliers, including 24 from Belgium, that account for 80% of the emissions in its supply chain.
The company has teamed up with two strategic and independent sustainability consultancies to send climate consultants to its main Belgian suppliers.
The Initiative
The consultants will help in calculating the carbon footprint of these companies and offer suggestions on how to reduce emissions.
The programme will also help suppliers in identifying the largest sources of CO2 emissions in their operations.
Head of sustainability at Lidl, Philippe Weiler, added, “We want to convince our suppliers even more actively to participate in Lidl's sustainability efforts because CO2 naturally goes beyond the supermarket walls.
"During the first visits to a few suppliers, we managed to place climate on the agenda for the first time."
The programme has seen climate consultants visit the meat processing company De Keyser, among others, Lidl added.
Valuable Advice
Product Manager at REMIC / De Keyser, Kevin Van Dorpe, said, “We got a clearer view of which measures can have an effective impact within the entire supermarket chain. Their advice and external view were very valuable to us.
“Thanks to their visit, there are now a number of action points on the table that we want to tackle further, such as where we can combat energy losses and opportunities to optimise our logistics.”
By the end of 2020, Lidl aims to support nearly twenty suppliers in reducing CO2 emissions.
The retailer has pledged to reduce CO2 emissions by 36% throughout its value chain by 2030.
This programme aims to accelerate the company’s efforts in achieving this target.
Lidl operates 315 stores and 5 distribution centres in Belgium and Luxembourg, employing more than 9,500 people.
The company's total annual carbon emission amounts to approximately 900,000 tonnes, of which 93% is from suppliers or other sources further down the chain.
© 2020 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Dayeeta Das. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
