Supermarkets are on the front line in the fight against climate change. Their sheer size and dominance mean they are major contributors of greenhouse gas emissions, plastics and food waste.
Supermarkets face sustainability issues on multiple fronts. First, their operations – powering their shops, refrigerators, delivery vans and depots; packaging their products and handling their waste. And second, the products they sell have big environmental impacts, whether it’s carbon emissions from shipping them across the world, or issues such as deforestation and water use in their production.
They also play a key role when it comes to influencing both consumers and suppliers – what they stock, as well as how it’s labelled and priced, can all make a difference.
Supermarkets' business-wide greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, plastic use and food waste are some of the biggest environmental sustainability issues they have to tackle.
Looking at the impact of all the products they sell, their own emissions (Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions) are only the start of the story. There are plenty more issues to consider in the supply chains of grocery products. Whether it's water use, deforestation, organic production, sustainable fishing or biodegradable chemicals – the list goes on.
These concerns are mostly further down the supply chain (also known as Scope 3), beyond the scope of the supermarkets’ direct operations. But it's estimated that supermarkets' supply chains account for 95% or more of their total greenhouse gas footprint.
Greenhouse gas emissions
In the past few years, supermarkets have become more serious about calculating both their own emissions and those of their supply chains. They now all report annual emissions calculations for their supply/value chain.
According to the GHG protocol, Scope 1 emissions are direct emissions from owned or controlled sources. Scope 2 emissions are indirect emissions from the generation of purchased energy. Scope 3 emissions are all indirect emissions (not included in scope 2) that occur in the value (supply) chain of the company.
All supermarkets have either targets to reduce these emissions in the near future or ambitions to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2040 or 2050.
Most supermarkets have targets that are validated by SBTi – the Science Based Targets initiative – a charity that verifies emissions targets set by companies in line with climate science and the goals of the Paris Agreement.
But some have published more up-to-date and accurate figures from their suppliers than others. A recent Food Foundation report says that some retailers' targets rely on estimates, making it difficult to assess actual reductions. Retailers have adjusted their baselines over time based on more accurate methodologies or recalculations, which is understandable, but could risk hiding actual emission reductions or a lack of reductions.
Packaging, food waste and deforestation
All supermarkets have plans to reduce their packaging and plastic packaging (by weight), and targets for reducing their food waste (as a percentage of total food sales).
They have also all committed to sourcing the high-risk commodities in their supply chains from verified deforestation-free and conversion-free land by December 2025.
However, the Food Foundation report found that while some retailers are taking proactive steps, there is no industry-wide standard for supplier compliance. For some high-risk commodities, such as soya, the supply chains are complex, and transparent reporting remains difficult and patchy.
Healthy food
All supermarkets have made a commitment to increasing the percentage of healthy food that they sell, which usually means increasing fruit and veg sales, switching from meat and dairy to plant-based proteins and reducing the amount of high-fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) foods.
This can also ties into sustainability goals, as plant-based foods tend to involve fewer GHG emissions in their production. However, retailers can set their own definition of what constitutes healthy food, so figures between retailers can be difficult to compare.
Below we've included a summary of the supermarkets' sustainability plans, targets and initiatives. We've also set out, in a table, the most recently available GHG emissions for each major grocery retailer.
Supermarkets' sustainability targets
Net zero own operations target: 2035 (SBTi validated)
Net zero value/supply chain target 2050 (SBTi validated)
Scope 3 emissions: 21,761,438 tCO2e year (2023, GB only)
Emissions
Aldi is currently the fourth-largest UK supermarket, based on market share. Like all supermarkets, nearly all of the Aldi South Group's emissions are supply chain/Scope 3 emissions.
It aims to achieve a 90% reduction in its supply chain GHG emissions (Scope 3) by 2050. It also has a near-term target of a 25% reduction in industry GHG emissions activity and a 30.3% reduction in GHG emissions associated with FLAG (forestry, land and agriculture) by 2030.
Food waste
Aldi says it was the first UK food retailer to achieve its food-waste goal, after hitting its initial target eight years early. Its new target is a 90% reduction in food waste tonnage by 2030.
Each Aldi store is measured on the tonnage of food that ends up wasted, and it identifies which items are discarded most often to allow each store to target reduction actions accordingly. Like many supermarkets, its initiatives include moving on from use-by dates on milk and other products and replacing them with best-before dates.
Packaging
Aldi is aiming for a 50% reduction in plastic (primary) packaging and all other packaging by the end of 2025.
Some of the things it has done so far include switching from glass to recycled plastic for peanut butter jars, reducing cardboard in washing powder and cat litter packaging and removing ring pulls from some canned goods.
Responsible sourcing
Aldi has committed to ending deforestation and the conversion of natural ecosystems in its high-priority supply chains (those that are higher risk for deforestation) by the end of 2025.
All soya products used as animal feed are to come from low-risk areas or to have a sustainability certification, although this will be done in stages, as the soya industry is very complex. Aldi is a member of the UK Soy Manifesto.
All palm oil will be RSPO-certified by the end of 2025. In 2023, 99% of palm oil in its own-brand products was certified. All new products should contain palm oil that's either identity-preserved or segregated – the most robust forms of certification.
Healthy products
By 2027, it wants 85% of sales (based on tonnage) to be from healthy products. In 2023, it had achieved 80%.
Part of the commitment to healthy food includes increasing vegan and vegetarian ranges. In 2023, Aldi increased its plant-based protein options by 67% compared with 2020.
Net zero own operations target: 2040 (not SBTi validated)
Net zero value/supply chain target 2040 (not SBTi validated)
Scope 3 emissions: 25,639,199 tCO2e (2023)
Emissions
Asda is the third-largest UK supermarket, based on market share. It has a target to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions within its own operations by 2040. Several of the other supermarkets we looked at are hoping to do so by 2035.
By the end of 2025, it's aiming for a 50% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions. The latest published figures show that in 2023, it had achieved a 41% drop from the baseline it set in 2015.
It has now measured its Scope 3 emissions. While it hasn't set a near-term target to reduce this, reduction targets are planned soon. It originally set SBTi targets, but removed them after its rapid expansion into convenience stores meant it needed to recalculate. It is now working to establish new validated targets.
Food waste
It aims to achieve a 20% reduction in food waste by 2025. However, its 2023 figures were greater (at 29,413 tonnes/year) than its baseline figure of 28,308. It puts this down to an industry-wide issue in the processing of food waste for animal feed.
Packaging
Asda reduced its plastic packaging by 15% by 2021. It has recently set a new target for a further 20% total reduction in primary packaging tonnage on food per 1% of market share by 2030.
Responsible sourcing
High-risk commodities such as soya and palm oil should be deforestation-free by the end of 2025. Palm oil was 99.8% RSPO certified in 2023 (mass balance, segregated or identity-preserved). Soya was 81% from low-risk origin, covered by certification or credits. Figures for the percentage of verified deforestation-free soya were not available.
99.8% of wild-caught fish sourced in 2023 was Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified or from registered Fisheries Improvement Projects (FIP). This should be 100% by the end of 2025.
Healthy food
Asda has a goal to increase the proportion of healthy (non-HFSS) own-brand products to 60%. In 2023, this was 52%. It also wants to increase Asda Plant Based sales by 100%.
Net zero own operations target: 2035 (SBTi validated)
Net zero value/supply chain target: 2040 (SBTi validated)
Scope 3 emissions: 4,333,000 tCO2e (2024)
Emissions
Co-op is currently the seventh-biggest UK supermarket based on market share. Its targets are validated by the SBTi.
It has a target to reach net zero for its supply chain/Scope 3 carbon emissions by 2040 (along with Asda, Iceland, M&S and Ocado). This is a more ambitious target than the standard 2050.
By 2025, it had already reduced emissions across its supply chain by 26% (from a 2016 baseline), which was more than double its original target. It aims to achieve a 58.8% reduction by 2030.
It has achieved a 61% reduction in its own operations (scope 1 & 2) since 2016. It aims to reach 66% by 2030.
Co-op's percentage of renewable energy usage has dropped from 100% to 15%. This is because it's no longer buying REGO certificates to back its electricity purchases. REGO certificates are a way of supporting renewable energy generation by buying green energy certificates without the actual energy coming directly from an renewable source you are using.
Co-op says that it believes this is not the most effective way to increase the amount of renewable energy in the UK. Instead, it's increasing the amount of energy it procures via corporate Power Purchase Agreements (cPPAs).
This means it buys some of its electricity directly from renewable energy generators, such as solar or wind farms. Co-op also says it is exploring self-generation opportunities to create its own renewable power.
Relative to its size, Co-op's published Scope 3/supply chain emissions have a smaller overall impact than those of other retailers. In fact, the only supermarket with fewer supply chain emissions is Ocado, which is a much smaller business in terms of revenue.
Food waste
Co-op is aiming for a 50% reduction by 2030. To date, it's reduced overall food waste by 31% compared with 2022.
One of its initiatives involves matching pack sizes to the size of the store, for example smaller packets of fruit and veg such as broccoli and blueberries,in smaller stores.
Packaging
Removing plastic lids from houmous, reducing the weight of cardboard ready-meal sleeves and switching soup from plastic to cartons are all ways Co-op has reduced its packaging.
It's already achieved its target of making all packaging 'easy to recycle', either at kerbside or in one of its stores. It has reduced its own-brand plastic footprint by 21%, against a baseline year of 2018. The target is 30% by the end of 2025.
Responsible sourcing
Co-op stocks a wide range of Fairtrade products, including all of its own-label bananas, tea, coffee, chocolate, bagged sugar, rose and cocoa. It's the world's biggest seller of Fairtrade wine.
It says all the palm oil it sources is certified as sustainable under the RSPO – it was ranked sixth overall globally on the WWF Palm Oil Buyers Scorecard. Most of its soya is covered by RTRS credits, although only 10% of soya used in own-brand products (mostly as animal feed) is verified deforestation and conversion-free. It says that achieving verified deforestation-free soya is an industry-wide challenge.
Healthy food
In 2024, 78% of Co-op own-brand food and drink sales were from healthy products (non-HFSS). It says it incentivises the purchase of healthy products such as fruits and vegetables by lowering prices to members and commits that all own-brand products which are reduced or light alternatives to a standard product will be no more expensive.
Net zero own operations target: 2040 (Not SBTi validated)
Net zero value/supply chain target: 2040 (Not SBTi validated)
Scope 3 emissions: 4,348,541 tCO2e (2021)
Emissions
Iceland is currently the ninth-biggest UK supermarket based on market share. It says it has achieved a 40.1% reduction in operational emissions from a baseline year of 2011 and plans to be net zero in its own operations by 2040.
Iceland has measured its Scope 3 emissions and has a target to reach net zero by 2040 for its supply chain, with an interim target of a 50% reduction by 2030.
However, Iceland's targets are not SBTi validated. If it were to set SBTi validated targets, it would not be able to compare today's data with the year 2011 to measure its progress. In 2011, the National Grid's fuel mix was very different – around 75% of electricity came from fossil fuels. Now, that figure is around 35%. This means that some of Iceland's reported reduction in emissions is likely due to this.
Food waste
By 2030, Iceland aims to reduce food waste in its own operations by 50% (from a 2017/18 baseline) and has achieved a 38% reduction so far. Employees can take home free food that has reached its best-before or use-by date at store closing time each day.
Packaging
Iceland had planned to eliminate plastic from its own-label packaging by 2023, but did not meet that target. It said that market pressures made it impossible. It still says it has a target to remove plastic from its packaging entirely, but hasn't set a new date by which to achieve this. In 2023, it achieved a 20.5% reduction in own-label plastic packaging from a 2017 baseline.
Responsible sourcing
Iceland received a lot of media attention for removing palm oil from all its own-label food as part of a sustainability campaign launched in 2018. In 2022, it reversed that decision as a result of supply-chain issues caused by the war in Ukraine, primarily a shortage of sunflower oil. Certified sustainable palm oil is now used in some of its own-label products.
It's a signatory to the UK Soy Manifesto, which is an industry commitment to ensure all soya and embedded soya products in the UK are deforestation-free and conversion-free. However, it hasn't published how much of its soya is verified deforestation and conversion-free.
73% of Iceland's own-label fish is MSC certified.
Healthy food
According to its latest Healthy Food footprint report, 90% of own-label food sold at Iceland is healthy (non-HFSS).
Net zero own operations target: 2050 (SBTi validated)
Net zero value/supply chain target: 2050 (SBTi validated)
Scope 3 emissions: 11,068,833 tCO2e (2022)
Emissions
Lidl is currently the sixth-biggest UK supermarket based on market share. It has committed to reduce its Scope 1 & 2 and Scope 3 (non-FLAG) absolute emissions by 42% by 2030 (from a 2020 baseline).
Its long-term targets have been recently validated by the SBTi.
It also has a target to stop using any fossil fuels to deliver products to stores by 2030 (much of this involves transitioning from diesel to biogas for its transport vehicles).
Food waste
Lidl has committed to reducing food waste by 50% by 2030. It says that less than 1% of food sold in its stores now goes to waste.
It offers Lidl Plus app holders 'Waste Not' fruit and veg boxes – cheap boxes of produce that might have some imperfections – and discounted offers on bakery products after certain times.
Packaging
By 2025, Lidl plans to reduce own-brand plastic packaging by 40% (its latest published figures show that it's 72% of the way there) and other packaging by 25% (currently it's at 50% of its goal).
It's removing things like the extra over-lid from some plastic pots, reducing packaging on meat products and losing plastic tags from veg such as spring onions.
Responsible sourcing
By 2025, all high-risk raw materials should be from verified sustainable sources. All palm oil is RSPO certified. All of its soya is certified, but much of it is under a credits system and, like the other supermarkets, Lidl says there's a long way to go before it can be certain that the soya supply chain is deforestation-free and conversion-free (in 2022 it was 18%).
All of its cocoa, tea, bananas, and most of its coffee, are Fairtrade or Rainforest Alliance certified.
Healthy food
Lidl wants to increase its healthy and healthier products sales to at least 80% by 2025. Its 2023 sustainability report states that it's 99% of the way there.
Lidl also has a specific target to achieve a 400% increase in its own-brand meat-free and milk-alternative range by 2025, against a 2020 baseline. It says it's also 99% there.
The latest Food Foundation report states that Lidl is a clear leader in sustainable diets.
Net zero own operations target: 2035 (SBTi validated)
Net zero value/supply chain target: None
Scope 3 emissions: 15,272,724 tCO2e (2021 – next supply chain emissions figures to be published in 2026)
Emissions
Morrisons is the fifth-biggest UK supermarket based on market share.
Its Scope 1 and 2 emissions align with limiting global warming to 1.5°C as per the Paris Agreement. It has a near-term ambition to reduce Scope 3 emissions by 30% by 2030 (it's currently achieved a 13% reduction against a 2019 baseline), but it doesn't currently have a long-term target.
It has so far achieved a 27% reduction in its Scope 1 and 2 emissions from a 2019 baseline, and is aiming for 46% by 2030.
It has a target to reach net zero carbon emissions within its agricultural supply chain by 2030. This covers beef, pork, lamb, potatoes and eggs.
Food waste
Morrisons has a target to halve food waste by 2030.
It says it's doing this by improving packaging to make food last longer and getting rid of the use-by date on its own-brand milk. It says milk is the third most-wasted food and drink product in the UK, after potatoes and bread.
Packaging
Morrisons is aiming for a 50% reduction in own-brand primary plastic packaging from a 2017 baseline (2024 progress had reached 40.7%) and reducing total packaging weight by 20%. To help achieve this, it has made more fruit and veg plastic-free and changed some food packaging from plastic to card.
Responsible sourcing
Like all the retailers, Morrisons has commitments to source high-risk commodities from deforestation-free and conversion-free supply chains. All palm oil is RSPO-certified, and the retailer is aiming for all soya to be verified deforestation and conversion-free (currently at 14%).
72% of wild seafood is Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified.
Healthy food
In 2023, 69% of own-brand sales were non-HFSS (high fat, salt and sugar), and Morrisons has committed to grow its plant-based products range by 300%.
Net zero own operations target: 2035 (SBTi validated)
Net zero value/supply chain target: 2040 (SBTi validated)
Scope 3 emissions: 5,200,000 tCO2e (2023)
Emissions
M&S has reduced Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 33% from its base year (2016/17), and has committed to become a net zero business across its whole value chain by 2040.
To increase its use of renewable energy, it's planning rooftop solar generators at 16 sites, including four of its distribution centres.
94% of emissions are from its supply chain.
It's been working with data platform Mondra to assess the carbon footprint of more than 5,000 food products, to help it better understand the greenhouse gas emissions produced at every stage of its supply chain.
Food waste
M&S is working towards a 50% reduction in food waste by 2029/2030, and is currently achieving 31%. Initiatives include turning surplus bread baked fresh in-store into frozen garlic bread.
Packaging
It has a target to remove 1bn units of plastic packaging by 2027/28 (from 2017/2018). It has so far removed 148m units.
Responsible sourcing
M&S palm oil is 99% RSPO certified with segregated status. This is the most robust form of certification.
It sources 83% of soya from verified deforestation-free and conversion-free supply chains. Compared with many other retailers, this is a very high percentage.
Healthy food
M&S has reached its target to have 70% of food sales from healthier products. 72% of sales are from fruit, vegetables, vegetarian and vegan products.
It has a target to double sales of its Plant Kitchen vegan range by 2024/25.
Net zero own operations target: 2040 (SBTi validated)
Net zero value/supply chain target: 2040 (SBTi validated)
Scope 3 emissions: 1,373,226 tCO2e (2023)
Emissions
Ocado Retail is a joint venture between Ocado Group and M&S. It's the 10th biggest supermarket based on market share.
The Ocado Group sells its own robotic technology to other retailers and also has a logistics arm.
Ocado Retail's Scope 1 and 2 emissions are very small because most of its emissions fall under those of the Ocado Group, so they're counted as Scope 3 emissions. For example, operational logistics and transport to customers' homes comes under Scope 3. Their own operations emissions, therefore, only include emissions from two head office buildings.
Ocado Retail says that Scope 3 accounts for more than 99% of its total emissions, and 56% of these come from agriculture.
It has had its near and long-term targets approved by the SBTi.
Food waste
It's aiming for a reduction in food waste by 20% by 2025 and to halve it by 2030 (against a 2022 baseline).
Packaging
Ocado pledges to halve the environmental impact of its own-range packaging by 2030.
It's doing this through things such as removing bubble pads from strawberries, as these are both unnecessary and hard to recycle, and removing trays from whole chickens.
It has reduced its own-range packaging by 141 tonnes since 2021, which equates to 25m unnecessary packaging components.
Responsible sourcing
Like the other retailers, Ocado is aiming for a 100% deforestation-free and conversion-free supply chain for high-risk commodities such as soya and palm oil. From the latest published figures, its soya is only 5% verified deforestation and conversion-free. Ocado is part of the UK Soy Manifesto.
Its palm oil is 97% mass-balanced certified, which is a weaker form of certification than segregated or identity-preserved.
100% of its own-range chilled wild-caught fish is MSC-certified.
Healthy food
In 2023, 80% of Ocado's own-range products were below the maximum salt target, and 100% fell below the maximum calorie targets.
Its 'fill your fridge for £5' promotion focuses on fruit and vegetables.
Net zero own operations target: 2035 (SBTi validated)
Net zero value/supply chain target: 2050 (SBTi validated)
Scope 3 emissions: 25,652,904 tCO2e (2019 – working on measuring supplier emissions to provide a more up-to-date accurate figure)
Emissions
Sainsbury's is the second-biggest supermarket based on market share in the UK.
Its targets are STBi validated. It has also set FLAG targets to reduce emissions by 36.4% by 2030 and to have net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
Its last published Scope 3 emissions figures date from 2018/2019. It says this is because this was based on estimates using industry-average carbon emission factors. Without supplier-specific emissions data, it's very challenging to report actual emission reductions.
Food waste
As part of its commitment to a 50% reduction in food waste by 2030 (it has already reduced its total by 15.3% relative to its 2019 base year), Sainsbury's is rolling out AI systems that recognise stock gaps and work out the most efficient ways to mark down near-dated food.
Packaging
The retailer has recently introduced cardboard/pulp-based trays instead of plastic for its salmon, trout, breaded fish and chicken products, as part of its mission to reduce plastic packaging by 50%.
Another initiative involves replacing plastic with cardboard for all its mushroom containers, which will save more than 775 tonnes of plastic a year. A trial of paper packaging across twin packs of avocados could save 20.2m pieces of plastic if rolled out to all stores. Removing plastic lids from houmous pots saves a further 103 tonnes. It's 21% of the way to its target.
Responsible sourcing
As part of its deforestation and conversion-free target, Sainsbury's is currently focusing on its supply chains for coffee, cocoa and soya. Currently, 96% of its soya is certified, but 59% is verified deforestation and conversion-free. All of its palm oil is certified under mass balance or segregated.
Sainsbury's offers the highest percentage (86.8%) of any UK supermarket of MSC-certified products in its wild seafood range.
Healthy food
It aims that by 2025, 85% of its sales by tonnage will be 'healthy and better for you'. It's currently at almost 82%.
Sainsbury's offers incentives at certain times of year, such as bonus Nectar points to customers choosing fresh, tinned, dried or frozen fruit and veg.
Net zero own operations target: 2035 (SBTi validated)
Net zero value/supply chain target: 2050 (SBTi validated)
Scope 3 emissions: 70,800,000 tCO2e (2023)
Emissions
Tesco is the biggest supermarket in the UK based on market share. Its total emissions are the largest of the supermarket retailers.
It says that reductions in emissions from its own operations have so far been achieved by adopting 100% renewable electricity and energy and bringing in refrigeration efficiencies. It has already reduced emissions by more than 60% from a 2015/16 baseline and plans to get to 85% by 2030.
It plans to have a fully electric fleet of home-delivery vehicles by 2030, and net zero carbon emissions in its own operations by 2035. This is an ambitious target, shared by Aldi, Co-op, Morrisons, Sainsbury's and Waitrose.
It is increasingly purchasing its electricity through PPAs and onsite generation – it should have reached 45% of its electricity being sourced in this way by the end of 2025, and 60% by the end of 2030.
Tesco says 98% of its carbon footprint lies with its Scope 3 emissions. As of January 2024, 70% of its suppliers have set net zero targets.
As per SBTi requirements, it now has a target to reduce absolute emissions from FLAG (Forest, Land and Agriculture) by 39% by 2032 and 72% by 2050, starting from a 2019/20 baseline. This is regarded as net zero by the SBTi. FLAG targets includes committing to zero deforestation by 2025.
Food waste
Like all retailers, Tesco made a commitment to halve food waste by 2030. It has currently achieved a 14.5% reduction compared to its 2016/17 baseline, but says it's unlikely to reach its 50% target. It says it avoids waste at source with careful stock management, packaging, responsible promotions and switching from use-by to best before dates where appropriate, or removing best before dates altogether.
Packaging
It's removed 2.5bn pieces of plastic from its own-brand products in the UK, including extra lids from wipes, creams, yoghurts, desserts and houmous; plastic bags from Tesco deliveries and plastic punnets from fresh tomatoes.
Other initiatives include reducing the weight of glass prosecco bottles, laundry capsule packaging, frozen food bags and pizza packaging.
Its target is to reduce plastic packaging where it can and reduce unnecessary packaging, rather than putting an actual percentage on the reduction required.
Responsible sourcing
All palm oil is certified under RSPO, and 84% is segregated, which is the most robust form of certification. The rest is under mass balance and independent smallholder credits.
It has a UK Zero Deforestation Soy Transition Plan. All soya is certified by Roundtable of Responsible Soy (RTRS) regional credits as a minimum - meaning that Tesco is ensuring producers receive a premium to encourage sustainable practice in the future but does not guarantee the soy it actually purchases is from a sustainable source. It is aiming for 100% of it soy to be from verified deforestation and conversion-free sources.
It had a target to use 100% sustainable paper and board by December 2025, but says that a lack of transparency in the industry means it's unlikely to meet this.
Tesco's own-brand wild seafood is 75% certified by the MSC.
Healthy food
It aims to increase the proportion of its sales from healthier products to 65% by 202 and has currently achieved 64%. It has removed volume-led promotions on products covered by HFSS (high fat, salt and sugar) legislation.
Net zero own operations target: 2035 (SBTi validated)
Net zero value/supply chain target: 2050 (SBTi validated)
Scope 3 emissions: 7,390,000 tCO2e (2023)
Waitrose is the eighth-biggest UK supermarket based on market share. It's a part of the John Lewis Partnership.
The John Lewis Partnership has a target to reach net zero carbon emissions in its own operations by 2035, and across its value chain by 2050.
It has set targets to reduce Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 60% by 2030. Scope 3 goods and services emissions also need to be cut by 42% by 2030/31, starting from a 2020/21 base year. FLAG emissions must be cut by 30.3%.
Its targets are SBTi validated. In 2022/23, it had reduced energy and industrial value-chain emissions by 24% from the base year, and reduced FLAG emissions by 10%.
Its own operations emission reductions will mainly be met through decarbonising its transport fleet and the energy used by its buildings. All the electricity used in 2022/3 for its own operations was already 100% renewable (based on REGO certificates), but for 2023/24 this had slipped to 91.9%. John Lewis cites external pressures.
John Lewis owns its own farm, Leckford Estate, where it is trialling various regenerative and lower-carbon initiatives. These include producing its own tractor biomethane fuel from methane produced by the resident cows.
Food waste
Waitrose has set a target to reduce food waste by 50% compared to its 2018 baseline. For the last reporting year (2024/5) it had achieved 28.2%.
Packaging
It says it will replace 20m units of single-use packaging with reusable alternatives by 2030 and will remove unnecessary packaging components when there is no negative impact on food waste.
Responsible sourcing
By the end of 2025, it's aiming for all of its palm oil to be sourced from RSPO-certified segregated sources (the most robust type of certification). Its last reported figure (for 24/25) is 82.5%.
Like other retailers, it's experiencing challenges in obtaining all its soya from verified deforestation-free and conversion-free sources. This currently applies to 21.6% of what it uses (the rest is certified under credits and other systems).
95% of its fish comes from certified responsible sources (Aquaculture Stewardship Council or Marine Stewardship Council).
Healthy food
Waitrose says 70% of its own-brand food meets its Good Health product standards – it was aiming for 65% by 2026, so it has overshot its target.
Supermarket greenhouse gas emissions and targets compared
Supermarket
Annual revenue (£bn)
Total value/supply chain emissions tCO2e year
Value/supply chain GHG reduction near term targeta
Value/supply chain near-term target date
Value/supply chain net zero target date
Own operations net zero target date
Near term targets validated by SBTi
Net zero target validated by SBTi
Aldi
17.9 (GB and Ireland, 2023)
21,761,438 (2023, GB only)
25%
2030
2050
2035
Yes
Yes
Asda
21.7 (2024)
25,639,199 (2023)
No targets set as yet
2050
2040
2040
No
No
Co-op
11.3 (2024)
4,333,000 (2024)
48%
2030
2040
2035
Yes
Yes
Iceland
4.2 (2024)
4,348,541 (2021)
50%
2030
2040
2040
No
No
Lidl
11 (2024)
11,068,833 (2022)
42%
2030
2050
2050
Yes
Yes
Morrisons
17 (2024)
15,272,724 (2021)
30%
2030
?
2035
Yes
No
M&S
13.9 (2025)
5,200,000 (2023)
55%
2030
2040
2035
Yes
Yes
aSupply chain refers to Scope 3 emissions. Scope 3 should include all other indirect emissions that occur in the upstream and downstream activities of an organisation. The retailers with SBTi validated targets should be assessing their Scope 3 emissions in a consistent way. Other retailers should be using similar frameworks to assess their value chain emissions, but there may be differences in how they report the data.
bTesco's figures cover Tesco Group operations, including its operations in the Republic of Ireland and central Europe.
cTesco's scope 3 emissions make up an estimated 97% of its total emissions. Its total emissions are 73.2 million tCO2e per year, and the figure in the table is calculated based on this.
dFigures are for all of John Lewis Partnership.
The Science Based Targets initiative
Supermarkets and other big organisations and companies usually use the Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi) to set their targets. The SBTi is a collaboration between several organisations to provide a framework for companies to assess and reduce their emissions in line with the Paris Agreement (to attempt to limit global warming to 1.5°C).
Companies working with SBTi commit to measuring their emissions and then developing a plan to reduce these. Once a commitment is made, the company has 24 months to validate the targets.
Some supermarkets have had their targets validated, while others have recently submitted or resubmitted their targets to the SBTi. The table below includes columns for whether the supermarkets' near and long-term targets have been validated by the SBTi.
Asda and Iceland do not have validated near or long-term SBTi targets. Asda did have commitments, but they were recently removed as they did not reflect its change in business model – specifically, its recent expansion into convenience stores. Asda plans to resubmit targets for validation once it has collected data from the new convenience store sites it has recently bought.
Iceland has not publicly committed.
Morrisons does not have net zero/long-term targets that are SBTi validated.
Aldi and M&S had their net-zero commitment removed, but they have now been re-validated (taking into account updated guidance on forest, land and agricultural emissions, also known as FLAG). Lidl has also recently committed to net zero by 2050 in line with the guidance of the SBTi.
The Co-op, Ocado, Sainsbury's, Tesco and the John Lewis Partnership (Waitrose) have both their short and long-term targets approved.
If companies that operate in land-intensive sectors have long-term/net zero targets approved, then they must also have FLAG targets to reduce these specific emissions by at least 72% by 2050. They must also set near-term targets.
If a supermarket has SBTi-validated targets, it will have collected data about its emissions in a standardised way, which should ensure all of its emissions are properly reported.
Many of the environmental issues associated with food production can seem beyond the power of ordinary consumers, but there are important ways we can take action.
Your individual circumstances – where you shop, what you buy, how you get there, and what you do with the food once home – all make an impact. Only you will know where you can make the best, and most practical, changes for your household.
There are key choices you can make in the supermarket aisles. Here are some of our top tips:
Follow the seasons: Fruit and veg that’s naturally in season is more likely to be produced locally, without using a heated greenhouse. Look for UK-grown produce, and get it when it’s at its best. Fruits and veg in season are usually better value then, too, so buy in bulk and preserve or freeze them to enjoy all year round. Out-of-season food can be grown sustainably in warmer climates, but avoid any that’s air-freighted, as flying adds a big carbon footprint. Air-freighted foods often include berries, asparagus and green beans. However, air-freighting makes up a tiny proportion of food transportation miles (0.16%); most food comes by sea or road, and transport will be a very small proportion of total emissions.
Waste not, want not: Plan meals and write a shopping list so you’re less likely to buy more than you need. Don’t be tempted by two-for-one offers, especially on perishable items, unless you know you can use or freeze them. Buying in bulk can reduce packaging, but if you can’t eat it all immediately, freeze portions for later. Food can still be eaten beyond ‘best before’ and ‘display until’ dates – just use your judgment. Some supermarkets have removed use-by dates from milk and yoghurt and best-before dates from fruit and veg – use judgment before throwing food away.
Shop ‘naked’: Avoid plastic packaging by buying loose, unpackaged groceries. Take your own reusable produce bags for fruit and veg, and jars or lidded containers if your supermarket has refill stations for dry goods such as pasta or cereals. Some shops also allow you to fill your own container with deli products. Look out for easily recyclable paper and cardboard packaging, and choose refillable products, which are generally better for the environment.
Be flexible: A ‘flexitarian’ diet includes more plant-based foods, while still allowing for some animal products. Beef, lamb and dairy have the biggest carbon footprints in our diet, so try replacing some of your red meat intake with vegetables and pulses, which are often cheaper and healthier as well as better for the planet. There’s a wide range of dairy alternatives, too, with oat milk and pea milk considered to be among the most sustainable choices. Find out more about milk alternatives and how to buy the most sustainable seafood.
Choose an eco slot: Online deliveries can be a lower-carbon option, with some supermarkets offering ‘eco’ or ‘green’ delivery slots, where their drivers are already delivering in your area. And although you might realistically need to rely on your car for the weekly shop, if you happen to have a short shopping list, walking, cycling or using public transport will all help to cut your petrol bills as well as your carbon footprint.
