Food retailers carving out ‘green’ future

LONDON – British food stores, including the nation’s biggest retailer Tesco, are winning plaudits from environmental groups for their increasingly ‘green’ approach to business.

However despite the launch last week of major eco-initiatives by supermarket Tesco and upmarket grocer Marks and Spencer, food retailers have not gone far enough in tackling risks threatening the global environment, some green organisations claimed. Only government intervention, meanwhile, would spur other British industries into moves such as cutting carbon emissions, which are blamed for global warming, they added.In a keynote speech last week, Tesco chief executive Terry Leahy said the supermarket chain would spend 500 million pounds on energy efficiency by 2012.Leahy, addressing the environmental charity Forum for the Future, said Tesco had to take a lead among British business in tackling climate change.”As a growing international business, we must set an example by measuring and reducing our greenhouse gas emissions.”By setting targets that stretch our business and by committing to do this in public, we are transparent and fully accountable for what we achieve.”Leahy promised independently audited cuts in carbon emissions from its operations, support for the development of emerging low-carbon technologies and carbon labelling on all of its products.Forum for the Future hailed the announcements.”Tesco’s commitment to count and display the carbon cost of every product is groundbreaking,” the group’s chief executive Peter Madden said.”It shows that they are serious about tackling climate change and intend to do it by helping millions of customers make straightforward and affordable choices.”Tesco’s move meanwhile came in the same week that Marks and Spencer announced plans to spend 200 million pounds over the next five years on its own eco-plan.”Every business and individual needs to do their bit to tackle the enormous challenges of climate change and waste,” M and S chief executive Stuart Rose said.The food retailer, which also sells clothes made from organic cotton, said its plans included moves to make Marks and Spencer 25 per cent more energy efficient, in part by creating renewable energy generated from its own waste.It added that it would “minimise” the amount of food it transports on planes, while ensuring that its key raw materials come from “the most sustainable source possible, in order to protect the environment and the world’s natural resources”.Nampa-AFPOnly government intervention, meanwhile, would spur other British industries into moves such as cutting carbon emissions, which are blamed for global warming, they added.In a keynote speech last week, Tesco chief executive Terry Leahy said the supermarket chain would spend 500 million pounds on energy efficiency by 2012.Leahy, addressing the environmental charity Forum for the Future, said Tesco had to take a lead among British business in tackling climate change.”As a growing international business, we must set an example by measuring and reducing our greenhouse gas emissions.”By setting targets that stretch our business and by committing to do this in public, we are transparent and fully accountable for what we achieve.”Leahy promised independently audited cuts in carbon emissions from its operations, support for the development of emerging low-carbon technologies and carbon labelling on all of its products.Forum for the Future hailed the announcements.”Tesco’s commitment to count and display the carbon cost of every product is groundbreaking,” the group’s chief executive Peter Madden said.”It shows that they are serious about tackling climate change and intend to do it by helping millions of customers make straightforward and affordable choices.”Tesco’s move meanwhile came in the same week that Marks and Spencer announced plans to spend 200 million pounds over the next five years on its own eco-plan.”Every business and individual needs to do their bit to tackle the enormous challenges of climate change and waste,” M and S chief executive Stuart Rose said.The food retailer, which also sells clothes made from organic cotton, said its plans included moves to make Marks and Spencer 25 per cent more energy efficient, in part by creating renewable energy generated from its own waste.It added that it would “minimise” the amount of food it transports on planes, while ensuring that its key raw materials come from “the most sustainable source possible, in order to protect the environment and the world’s natural resources”.Nampa-AFP