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Mar 20, 2019
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John Lewis pledges to completely decarbonise operations by 2050

Published
Mar 20, 2019

UK department store chain John Lewis & Partners has committed to reducing its operational greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050 across all shops, head offices, distribution centres and transportation.


John Lewis Partnership


The plan involves significant investment in new refrigeration technology, biomethane-powered trucks, electric vans and renewable electricity.

By 2028, the company hopes to have removed a third of carbon from its operations, and by 2045 the retailer’s goal is to have a zero carbon transport fleet.

The latter will be of particular importance, as transport emissions currently contribute over 40% of John Lewis’ overall carbon footprint. The retail group has already started rolling out new biomethane-powered heavy trucks, which emit over 80% less CO2 than standard diesel alternatives.

Additionally, it is encouraging workers to embrace sustainable travel, and has already rolled out 75 electric vehicle charging points across the estate.

CUTTING EMISSIONS FROM SHOPS AND SUPPLY CHAIN

The plans also involve improving the carbon footprint of John Lewis’ physical estate. The retailer has committed to reducing its energy use by a quarter, and it wants its sites to have 100% renewable and British-sourced electricity by 2028.

Currently 110 John Lewis and Waitrose shops are BREEAM-certified, and the company will continue to apply the same approach to every construction project.

And the retailer announced it will carry out assessments of its supply chain to set further targets aligned with the goals of the Paris Accord. This will be in addition to sourcing key raw materials sustainably and reducing plastic waste.

Benet Northcote, director of corporate responsibility, said: “We recognise that urgent action is needed to keep global warming below 1.5C to avoid the most dangerous impacts of climate breakdown, and we are responding with our most ambitious set of targets yet, aiming to decarbonise as much as we can in the next 10 years and setting out a clear path to becoming a net zero operation."
 

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