Value retailer Poundland has vowed to slash its operational carbon footprint by half by the end of this year as part of a range of sustainability targets that form its 2024 Sustainability Strategy.
Poundland says it is currently working on its next five-year sustainability strategy and will announce “ambitious goals to support future ambitions” before the 2024 strategy expires.
The company has assessed its annual carbon footprint each year, since creating a baseline for comparison in 2019.
Other carbon reduction targets for 2024 include reducing the carbon impact of energy by 60% (33% achieved by end of 2022), reducing the carbon impact of domestic deliveries by 40% (10% achieved by 2022 and reducing the carbon impact of business travel by 20% (18% achieved in 2022).
Although the company has published these figures previously within its 2023 Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) report this is the first time the strategy has been detailed in its accounts, according to The Grocer.
The company has acted in several areas. Since mid-2022 all the company’s stores are powered by renewable energy and instore doors have been added to all fridges and freezers, increasing their energy efficiency by 80%.
Bulbs have been replaced by LEDs and the company plans to ensure that every bag is made from 100% recycled materials and is 100% recyclable by the end of the year – a figure that was at 80% in 2022.
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Poundland also aims to reduce its instore operational waste by 50% and says that it no longer sends waste to landfill from stores and depots thanks to enhanced recycling and segregation facilities at stores.
The 50% operational waste target was set after the company achieved its 2024 goal of zero operational waste to landfill two years early in 2022.
With transport, Poundland has banned the use of air freight to transport products and now only offers electric cars as part of its company car fleet.
Its efforts to reduce the carbon emissions from its distribution fleet have been more challenging following an expansion into fresh food but the company has invested in double deck trailers and software to reduce road miles and is also trialling low carbon transport fuels on its tractor units.
The retailer is also working with its suppliers to understand their product emissions and encourage them to reduce them.
A Poundland spokesman told The Grocer that despite the company’s commitment to sustainability since 2020 the retailer had previously “consciously avoided chest beating” about it, saying that instead the retailer had “quietly got on with it”.
