Welcome back! Today we’ll be looking at how another UK superstore giant is doing all it can to cut its CO2 emissions and become carbon neutral. Tesco are aiming to halve their energy use by 2008. They have also made a number of pledges outlined below.
- To reduce the number of bags they issue by 25% by 2008.
- To choose local produce (this helps local business and cuts down on the number of food miles travelled)
- Cutting down on waste by reducing, reusing and recycling. They also aim to reduce packaging by 25% by 2010.
- By 2010 their stores will use 50% less energy than they did in 2000. They’re also spending £100 million to help switch to renewable energy.
- They are also investing £25 million to help find ways for everyone to live a more sustainable life.
In February 2007 Tesco was the first UK retailer to sign up to the UK Government Voluntary Code on carrier bags. Their bags are fully degradable and you can earn green clubcard points if you return your carrier bags. These points can then earn you money off your grocery bills. Everyone wins!!
By 2008 Tesco aim to recycle 80% of waste from their stores. Every store has bins for recycling a variety of products and to make it easier they have a machine that automatically sorts the waste so you don’t have to! So, when you next do your weekly shop you can do your recycling as well. It’s not only the usual plastics and glass you can recycle but ink cartridges and mobile phones as well. For every mobile phone you recycle you get 300 green club card points for each one that works and 50 points for one that doesn’t. Ink cartridges will earn you 100 clubcard points.
So how are Tesco reducing their CO2 emissions? Well they are fighting the battle on a number of fronts. As they explain ‘In 2006 we cut our C02 emissions by 10% on each case of goods delivered to our stores. We want to cut this by 50% over the next five years. How? Well our lorries and vans hardly ever travel empty, and we’re using more and more double decker trailers which carry more products per journey. We’re also taking more lorries off the road and delivering by rail. We’
ve also recently started to use canals to deliver goods.’ As well as this they are using battery powered vans for their home delivery. Tesco calculates that this will save them 21 tonnes of CO2 a year.
Interestingly Tesco is also involved in developing the green technologies of the future.
‘We’ve set up a £100 million Sustainable Technology Fund to find more practical ways to use renewable energy like solar and wind power, and to help develop the green technologies of the future. For example we’
re investing in a technology that could turn food waste into power.
We’
re working with the Carbon Trust and Brunel University to develop trigeneration combined heat and power technology (which captures and reuses heat) for our stores and distribution centres that could save over 10,000 tonnes of CO2 a year.’
The more you read about Tesco the more you get the feeling that they are 100% dedicated to helping the environment. They have teamed up with several UK universities to fund research into how we can all cut down our CO2 emissions and become carbon neutral. Next time you are shopping in Tesco take a moment to contemplate what is going on behind the scenes to help save the planet. They are taking big steps, like funding research and small steps such as reducing the number of labels they put on clothes to name just one. It’s good to see yet another massive company taking climate change seriously.
Just in case you think this might be a plug for Tesco I’ll also be looking at other UK supermarkets and investigating what they are doing to save the planet. If you do want to find out more about Tesco check out their website here
and look for Greener Living.
Remember also thatTesco.com – groceries from your local store delivered to your door therefore cutting down on your carbon footprint!
