Better for the planet

Our progress so far

 Key: FY - Financial Year   

We are publicly reporting on our progress twice a year. For further information on our performance, please visit our Reports & Policies page for our Plan for Better report and CDP climate change disclosure.

Our approach

As a signatory to the SBTi Business Ambition for 1.5 degrees, we have committed to reaching net zero value chain emissions by no later than 2050, which includes the emissions associated to the products we sell to our customers, in line with the highest ambition of the Paris Agreement to limit global warming to 1.5°C. This builds on our existing science-based targets to become net zero across our operations by no later than 2035 and our alignment to a 1.5°C trajectory across all scopes and timeframes.

We have been working to mitigate our climate impact for a number of years and have reduced our Scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions by 47 per cent in the last 17 years, despite growing as an organisation by 41 per cent. In order to align with a 1.5 degree pathway, we have developed a roadmap to 2035 to reduce our emissions, with near term clear milestones defined in a 3-year emissions reduction plan.

We have launched a number of energy saving initiatives over the past year to support our Net Zero target. These include:

• Installing our 400,000th Aerofoil to our fridges, keeping fridges cool and aisles warmer, helping us to save 15% of the energy used by the fridge. More information here.
• We became the first UK supermarket to switch to lithium-ion pallet trucks. Initially purchasing 1,200 trucks, which has the potential to save enough energy to power 700 average sized UK homes for 12 month.
• Sainsbury’s Olney supermarket is the first store with a full Refrigeration Integrated Heating and Cooling system which uses the store’s refrigeration system to provide all its refrigeration, heating and cooling requirements. It also uses waste heat from refrigeration, making it particularly energy efficient.
• We have invested over £320 million over the last 10 years implementing over 3100 energy saving initiatives, including a significant number of on-site renewable technology installations, LED lighting, innovative solutions and Energy efficiency improvements.

In 2021, we came together with WWF and other retailers to form a taskforce working together to tackle the climate crisis and protect nature, called the WWF’s Retailers’ Commitment for Nature. By coming together, we have committed to halve the environmental impact of UK baskets by 2030, through taking action across our most material impact areas. This includes a focus on accelerating action on climate and as a collective we are committed to limiting global warming to 1.5°C by setting 1.5 degree-aligned Science based targets on emission reduction. We are working with WRAP and WWF to develop and deliver an ambitious climate action programme for the grocery retail sector, which will set out the high-impact actions we need to collectively take to halve emissions, by 2030.

More on our approach to Scope 3 emissions

Read the Climate Action plan

Working in collaboration

We have worked closely with the Carbon Trust to formulate and set Carbon emissions reduction targets, which were submitted and approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). Click here for more information on our SBTi targets for Scopes 1, 2 and 3.

We recognise that we cannot achieve these targets alone and are working with our suppliers to deliver against their own Scope 1 and 2 targets. We are also signatories of external commitments, including Race to Zero and the Business Ambition for 1.5°C, further demonstrating our commitment to driving towards net zero emissions by 2050.