Supermarket chain Sainsbury's has pledged to invest £1 billion to reduce its net carbon emissions to zero over the next 20 years.
Sainsbury's, the second largest supermarket firm in the UK, has promised to reduce its carbon emissions to zero by 2040 and to spend £1 billion to achieve this target. The retailer pledged to cut emissions from areas such as refrigeration and transport.
Critics pointed out that the supermarket firm's pledge did not include its supply network, which comprises most of its emissions. In response to this, Sainsbury's stated that it would be contacting its suppliers.
Sainsbury's chief executive officer (CEO) Mike Coupe said the company would be writing to its suppliers to ensure "they are playing their part". He added: "We need to understand further up our supply chains how we impact the environment and make sure our suppliers are working towards eliminating their carbon emissions as well."
When asked if it would help the company reduce its emissions if it sold more produce from the UK instead of food from overseas, Coupe responded: "We have to find a balance regarding 'food miles'."
"We have to bring our customers on the journey with us. It is more environmentally-friendly to grow products in environments that are suitable for those products. But equally there is a trade-off between doing that, our customers having availability of those products, and the way that we bring them to the market," he pointed out.
Currently, the retailer produces one million tons of carbon annually but Sainsbury's claimed that numbers have fallen by a third in the past 15 years.
In order to achieve its goal, the supermarket chain will invest on average £50 million a year over the next 20 years in measures like converting some of its vehicles to use alternative fuel and redesigning stores to be more energy efficient.
