Tesco plans its first ‘green’ UK supermarket in 2009
Published Wednesday, 1st October 2008
Environmental and sustainability targets are increasingly being given more prominence in company financial results. Supermarket giant Tesco released its interim financials for the six month period ended 23 August 2008 this week and bucked the general economic trend with an 11.3 per cent increase in pre-tax profits to £1.43bn compared to the same period the year before.
Greenbang had a quick look through Tesco’s results to pick out the its “community, environment and corporate social responsibility” performance. This included progress on reducing the number of plastic carrier bags used and the introduction of the UK’s first “environmental format” store early next year.
Here’s the headlines:
- Over 40 per cent reduction in single-use carrier bags achieved – on track for 50 per cent in 2009
- In April, Tesco launched a trial of product carbon labels on 20 own-brand products in UK stores. In September it extended the trial to stores in Ireland. The label appears on products in four categories: washing detergent, potatoes, orange juice and light bulbs.
- Met target to get 10m energy efficient light bulbs into Tesco customers’ homes.
- Continued to develop new environmental format store and will open the first of these in the UK early in 2009.
- Opened its third energy efficient store in August, in Lubartow, Poland. The store is powered by solar panels, wind turbines, a ground heat exchanger and recovers heat from freezers and chillers. The first eco store was opened in Japan at the end of August. Initiatives include solar car park lights, a low energy refrigeration system and dimmable lighting. In Thailand Tesco opened its second green store this August. The store saves up to 30 per cent energy compared to a conventional store and recycles its raw vegetable waste and used cooking oil into biofuels.
- By the end of this financial year, Tesco says it will have opened at least one ‘Environmental Store’ in each of the countries in which it operates.
Full results announcement here.
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The auto express ran a piece that Tesco’s are working on a trial for Carbon Capture with Origo Industries.
The trial is utilising the home delivery vehicles and bio reactors supply the vehicles with fuel.
If it is a success they will roll it through the stores.
http://www.origo-industries.com
The greenest act Tesco could perform would be to stop building new stores (eco or not) and reduce the amount of stores already held in the UK, thereby allowing smaller, independent stores to regain and attain their rightful place in the market.
This would give consumers increased opportunity to buy local, more sustainable groceries and goods than Tesco care to supply. It would also reduce the need for Tesco to waste precious energy by lighting and heating superstores; keeping excessive freezers and chiller cabinets cool; encouraging consumers to drive to out of town stores and transporting products further than is necessary or sustainably viable by air, ship and road.
‘Greening up’ the vast amount of Tesco’s current stores would at least be more efficient than building new. But having a handful of energy efficient / sustainable stores does nothing to balance out the negative impacts of Tesco’s other stores and business in general.
Racheblue
just because you say something does not make it fact, your just deluded.
Tesco also seem to be labeling some of their stores in China not as “energy-efficient” but has gone as far as to say they are “energy-saving”. the 1st was launched in Shanghai and the 3rd in Tieling this week.
also interesting is that they have built a massive solar array in the czech republic to power their distribution center.
more here: http://tinyurl.com/7sjh4t
Despite Tesco blowing its trumpet re green issues-it has withdrawn all but 4 of its greener living products. So all the recycled tissues and cleaning products have gone from our Tesco.Had a phone call from our local shop to say it is an overall decision rather than just local.
Far from impressed Tesco