// Top retailers ahead of targets for carbon emission reduction
// Better Retail Better World counts almost 30 leading retailers as signatories
// BRC CEO Helen Dickinson: “We should not underestimate the scale of the challenge before us”
Leading retailers have cut their carbon emissions by a third since 2005, according to a new report from the British Retail Consortium.
Almost 30 retailers have signed up to the Better Retail Better World initiative, including Morrisons, John Lewis, B&Q parent company Kingfisher, Sainsbury’s, Missguided and New Look.
The initiative said retailers are now meeting their carbon emissions targets two years early, using the UN Sustainable Development Goals as a framework, which is said to focus on “clear, transparent and measurable goals for businesses”.
Across the signatories, carbon emissions were reduced 36 per cent in absolute terms, surpassing the 2020 target of a 25 per cent decrease.
Relative to shop floor space, carbon emissions from stores and energy-related carbon emissions from store deliveries were down 67 per cent and 47 per cent respectively.
Efforts to tackle carbon emissions include the use of biofuels and renewable energy across the supply chain, with the initiative noting that many retailers have set their own strict targets to bring down their carbon use.
Despite the marked improvements, other areas such as transport emissions and greenhouses gases from refrigeration will need more work to meet their 2020 targets.
“We are facing a climate emergency; it is ever more important for businesses to unite to tackle these global challenges,” BRC chief executive Helen Dickinson said.
“While we can see significant progress being made, we should not underestimate the scale of the challenge before us.
“The public want to know that the food they eat, the clothes they wear and the goods they buy, are ethically made and responsibly sourced.
“Better Retail Better World brings together retailers to collaboratively play their part in creating a sustainable future.”
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