- Tesco's scale is creating green growth across a
vast range of products - impacting a considerable hinterland of
suppliers, all now sharing in the business benefits
- Tesco is also visited by millions of customers, who
are being provided with an increasingly large choice of products
bearing the Carbon Reduction Label
- Tesco have now set ambitious new targets to reduce
carbon, generate efficiencies and reinvest in green growth,
focusing on the three areas of direct emissions, embedded emissions
(in products), and from usage.
Tesco employs 472,000 people globally, many more people work in
the firms and businesses supplying their stores, and every week
they reach millions of customers around the world. When Tesco does
something, the world takes notice. 'Doing more, to emit less' sums
up Tesco's approach to climate change, and the results are starting
to have a radical ripple effect, encouraging green growth locally,
nationally, and even at a global level.
The company believes that retail businesses can play a powerful
role in tackling climate change, and in doing so generate new
opportunities, jobs and businesses. It is determined to play its
part, so has set itself ambitious targets for reducing carbon
emissions in every major area of its activities - from the supply
chains of its products and services to the impact of its buildings
and deliveries. It also has ambitious targets for finding ways to
help its customers reduce their own carbon footprint, and has a
revolutionary long-term vision of becoming a zero-carbon
business.
Helping consumers make a difference with the
Carbon Reduction Label
Tesco have already made considerable progress in
reducing their direct footprint, becoming a Carbon Trust
Standard bearer in the process. But Tesco know that this
represents only a fraction of the emissions generated by the
production, manufacture and use of the products we sell.
Towards the end of 2007 Tesco therefore agreed to
work with the Carbon Trust to assess the carbon footprint of a
number of its products. Since then, it has continued this mission.
Over the last three years the global grocery giant has championed
carbon
footprinting and the Carbon Reduction Label itself,
scaling up from orange juice and light bulbs to more than 100 own
brand products across most household needs…so helping consumers
make a difference, the consumer in turn rewarding those products
and brand doing their bit to reduce emissions.
Playing a leadership role
Tesco are now playing a leadership role in bringing
the problem of climate change to the attention of its suppliers,
customers and competitors around the world. This year, Tesco raised
the bar once again, setting ambitious new targets, developing new
collaborations and finding ways to engage consumers to help them
switch to low-carbon lives.
Tesco's targets address the three ways in which it
has an impact on carbon emissions.
First, the emissions produced directly by heating,
cooling and lighting stores and moving goods to them. Tesco's
targets are:
- By 2012 to halve distribution emissions of each
case of goods delivered, against a baseline of 2006
- By 2020 to halve emissions from a 2006/7 baseline
portfolio of buildings
- New stores built between 2007 and 2020 to emit half
the CO2 of a 2006 new store
- By 2050 to become a zero-carbon business
Second, the emissions produced by suppliers as they
grow and manufacture the goods customers want. Tesco know
reductions here will only be achieved through genuine, open source
collaboration, and are ready to play their part in this and
encourage their suppliers to do the same. Tesco's drive to reduce
its carbon footprint on many of its products has had a beneficial
knock-on effect to its suppliers, who are beginning to implement
their own carbon-reducing and energy saving programmes - a way of
driving shared Green Growth. This year, Tesco set themselves the
target of reducing the emissions of the products in their supply
chain by 30% by 2020.
Third, emissions produced by customers as they
consume the products they buy. Right from the start Tesco has
focused on making its low carbon choices clear and affordable,
helped by the Carbon Trust's Carbon Reduction Label and also by the
information Tesco provides consumers both at point of sale and via
its website and its publications. This year, Tesco set themselves
the target of finding ways to help their customers reduce their own
carbon footprints by 50% by 2020.
Those companies who engage with Tesco in meeting
these targets - a tremendous shared endeavour - appear well placed
to benefit from its commitment to green consumption and green growth.
To find out more see the Tesco
website.