UK retailer Tesco has said that it plans to source 100% of its electricity from solar power by 2030, and will also push its suppliers to adopt a ‘greener’ mindset, according to local press reports.
The retailer made its announcement in support of the Paris climate accord, which it said represents “the strongest hope that we can avoid dangerous climate change”, reported the Financial Times.
The paper quoted Kené Umeasiegbu, Tesco’s head of climate change as saying that refrigeration gases account for around 15% of the company’s emissions, with 12% coming from delivery vehicles, 7.5% from heating, and 0.5% from business travel.
He added that the group has already installed solar panels across its Thai operations, spending around £8 million on said installations.
Carbon Neutral
Tesco’s ultimate aim is to be carbon neutral by 2050, with the company having invested more than £700 million in energy and refrigeration efficiency measures since 2007.
The paper said that the move comes amid concerns that US President Donald Trump is planning to pull put of the accord, which was adopted almost unanimously around the world in 2015.
It calls on countries to curb emissions to ensure that global warming is kept below 2 degrees centigrade above pre-industrial levels, and if possible below 1.5 degrees.
The Financial Times quoted Myles McCarthy, director of implementation at the UK’s Carbon Trust as saying, “Tesco deserves real credit for being the first corporate to publicly commit to align with a high ambition 1.5C target.”
© 2017 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Stephen Wynne-Jones. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
