The latest report from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) confirms Britain's retailers are on course to meet ambitious voluntary targets to reduce the direct environmental impact of their operations. The figures and case studies, which form part of the BRC's progress report on the industry initiative A Better Retailing Climate (ABRC) show how retailers are working in partnership with suppliers and customers to make significant progress including lowering energy usage in buildings, cutting emissions from refrigeration, diverting waste from landfill and reporting on food waste.
Last year the participants in ABRC, who include Britain's leading retailers, agreed on a new range of targets to be met by 2020 after meeting original targets. Today's progress report highlights progress made against those targets to date by retailers such as:
- A 13% reduction in absolute carbon emissions from retail operations against a target of 25% by 2020
- A 34% reduction in carbon emissions resulting from store deliveries against a target of 45% by 2020
Retailers know they need to work with suppliers and consumers to achieve more reductions as the majority of environmental impacts arise from the production and consumption of products.
BRC director of Food and Sustainability, Andrew Opie, says: "Retailers continue to lead the way in reducing the impact of the products they sell and adapting to the challenges of climate change. This shows we can meet the ambitious targets to reduce environmental impact by 2020 when we invest in our supply chain and work closely with consumers."
