Retail to hit net zero by 2040
Today, 63 leading retailers have come together to support the BRC Climate Action Roadmap which aims to bring the retail industry and its supply chains to Net Zero by 2040.
This follows an announcement made earlier in the year where 20 major retailers signed a declaration to develop the Climate Action Roadmap to tackle the causes of climate change. We believe that with vital support from Government, the retail industry can decarbonise stores by 2030, deliveries by 2035 and products by 2040.
The Climate Action Roadmap sets out five areas of action:
- Putting decarbonisation at the core of all business decision making
- Reducing carbon emissions from shops and distribution centres
- Moving to net zero logistics operations
- Increasing sustainably sourced products
- Helping customers and employees to live low carbon lifestyles
By 2040 the British public can expect to buy or rent products knowing they have minimal impact on the climate. The future is exciting, from algae-based carbon-absorbing clothes; shops and cafes powered by energy captured from customers’ footsteps; to drone delivery and even products ‘printed’ at home by 3D printers. The opportunities to reduce carbon emissions in retail are huge.
However, for this vision to be realised, and for the UK to be a global leader in the transition to a zero-carbon world, the retail industry and Government must work in partnership.
The roadmap builds upon the Better Retail Better World campaign whereby retailers are leading the charge to meet some of the biggest global challenges of the coming decade. The launch of the Climate Action Roadmap begins a 20-year journey through which the industry will combat climate change and help customers live low carbon lifestyles. The plans for the roadmap will be outlined in detail at the UNFCCC Race to Zero Dialogues on 10 November 2020.
Helen Dickinson OBE, chief executive of the British Retail Consortium says: “Climate change is a threat that none of us can afford to ignore. The BRC Climate Action Roadmap is a clear and decisive statement that the retail industry is ready to take on this challenge – to be part of the solution. By 2040, we want every UK customer to be able to be able to make purchases – in store and online – safe in the knowledge that they are not contributing to global heating.
“Never before has an entire industry been so ambitious in tackling climate change. Retail is the critical gateway between vast international supply chains and every one of us as citizens. We have a fantastic opportunity to make a real global difference if we can all work collectively.”
