Sustainability Report 2009 - The Co-operative

Climate change
Indicators
Energy: carbon dioxide emissions
Energy: usage
Transport: distribution/business mileage
Transport: carbon dioxide emissions
Carbon offset: products and operations
Targets 2009
Reduce energy consumption across The Co-operative by
20% by 2010 and 25% by 2012, based on 2006 levels
(page 58).
Generate 15% of energy requirements from sustainable
energy sources by 2012, based on 2006 levels (page 59).
Reduce greenhouse gas emissions from refrigerant
leakages in The Co-operative Food’s stores by 20% by
2011, based on 2007 levels (page 60).
Reduce transport CO 2 emissions from The Co-operative
Food’s distribution fleet by 15% by 2013, based on
2005 levels (page 62).
Maintain carbon neutrality across CFS, The Co-operative
Travel and The Co-operative Clothing (page 63).
Phase out the sale of tungsten incandescent light bulbs
in The Co-operative Food’s stores by 2010 (page 64).
Progress design of the new head office complex to
deliver BRE Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM)
‘outstanding’ rating (page 59).
Deliver a climate change Membership outreach initiative
in partnership with Stop Climate Chaos (page 28).
Complete Green Energy for Schools phase two, installing
a further 60 photovoltaic systems and 20 small wind
turbines, biomass boilers and ground source heat
pumps (page 65).
Progress a climate change impacts and adaptation
initiative (page 59).
target achieved
on track
Targets 2010
close to target
behind schedule
target not
achieved
• Reduce energy consumption across The Co-operative by
20% by 2010 and 25% by 2012, based on 2006 levels.
• Generate 15% of energy requirements from sustainable
energy sources by 2012.
• Reduce greenhouse gas emissions from refrigerant
leakages in The Co-operative Food’s stores by 50% by
2013, based on 2006 levels.
• Maintain transport CO 2 emissions from The Co-operative
Food’s distribution fleet at 15% below 2005 levels.
Targets 2010 continued
• Attain a post-construction BREEAM ‘outstanding’ rating for
new head office complex.
• The Co-operative Bank to commit £200m to finance
renewable energy projects in 2010.
• Conduct further product carbon footprinting work in
The Co-operative Food.
Background
During 2009, the issue of climate change was almost continually
in the political and media spotlight:
• In March, the International Scientific Congress on Climate Change 1
concluded that, given the high rates of observed emissions, the
worst-case Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
scenario trajectories (or even worse) are being realised.
• At the G8 Summit in July, leaders endorsed the need to keep
global temperature rise below 2°C above pre-industrial levels,
and agreed on a long-term goal of reducing global emissions by
at least 50% by 2050 with an 80% or more reduction goal for
developed countries by 2050 2 .
• In December, the Met Office released data showing that the
first decade of this century (2000 to 2009) was the warmest
on record 3 .
• The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
(UNFCC) met in Copenhagen in December. While significant
progress was made on the provision of finance for the
developing world, its Accord 4 was not legally binding and, even
if fully implemented, will not hold global temperature rises
below 2°C.
Materiality and strategy
The Co-operative has a number of operations that emit significant
quantities of greenhouse gases (GHGs), the most significant of
which is the Food business. Additionally, The Co-operative, like any
other business, will be subject to the impacts of climate change
across its operations and activities.
The Environmental Strategy, which has been agreed via the Values
& Principles (V&P) Committee (page 10), continues to identify
climate change as its top environmental priority. Following extensive
member consultation in 2008, ‘combating climate change’ has
been designated to be one of three community priorities (page 15).
In the 2007 Co-operative Food Ethical Policy consultation (page 11),
members endorsed a commitment to reduce the carbon footprint of
The Co-operative Food’s products. In the latest Ethical Policy
consultations undertaken by The Co-operative Bank and The
Co-operative Insurance, members and customers indicated their
wish for the former to avoid finance to businesses involved in the
extraction of fossil fuels and those involved in the distribution of
fuels with a higher global warming impact; and the latter to use its
power as an institutional investor to encourage investees to reduce
their reliance on fossil fuels, switch to renewable energy and
promote energy efficiency. Additionally, a number of Co-operative
businesses are members of sector-wide agreements and initiatives.
For example, The Co-operative Insurance is a partner of the
Association of British Insurers’ ‘Climate Wise’ initiative 5 , The
Co-operative Food is a signatory to the British Retail Consortium’s
‘A Better Retailing Climate’ initiative 6 and, in 2009, The Co-operative
Travel was an active participant in Forum for the Future’s ‘Tourism
2023’ initiative 7 .
Ecological sustainability Climate change Waste and packaging Biodiversity Persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic (PBT) chemicals
The Co-operative Group Sustainability Report 2009 57