UK retailers hit target on environmental pledges
With less than a month to go before the crucial Copenhagen climate change conference, a string of major household-name UK retailers say they have met challenging environmental pledges ahead of schedule, and are committed to meeting even more demanding targets.
One of their key achievements is a 130,000 tonne reduction in the amount of waste sent to landfill in 2008 compared with 2005. The dramatic improvement is revealed in A Better Retailing Climate Progress Report 2009 published today by the British Retail Consortium (BRC) – an update on the comprehensive set of goals signed by retailers last year on how they will reduce the environmental impact of their businesses by 2013.
The proportion of waste sent to landfill by retailers was reduced by around a third between 2005 and 2008. This was achieved through a range of initiatives such as higher recycling rates and converting organic waste to biogas and fertiliser through anaerobic digestion. In 2008 retailers sent 32 per cent of their waste to landfill.
Retailers also exceeded a target to reduce their energy use in buildings by 15 per cent between 2005/6 and 2008/9 on a like-for-like basis. This was achieved through a variety of methods including designing stores that are up to 70 per cent more efficient and using low-carbon energy, such as wind and solar power.
