Taking action to help save our planet

Too Good To Go

This year we became the largest retailer in the East of England to partner with innovative food saving app, Too Good To Go.

Following a successful pilot scheme, Too Good To Go is now available in all our Food stores, continuing our work to keep edible food in the food chain.

Too Good To Go Magic Bags are available for £3.30 and contain food, ranging from meat and fish to cakes and bread, worth at least three times that value. Since launching in May 2022, we've saved over 50,000 meals from going to waste.

Solar panel expansion

Looking to grow our own renewable power, this year we installed additional solar panels at our Acle, Brightlingsea and Long Stratton Food stores. To date, these have generated 193,000 kWh, saving around 41 tonnes of CO2 emissions.

The suitability of solar panels and other environmentally friendly measures, are now considered as part of the design process for all our new stores and developments. A further nine sites have already been identified for solar panel installation, with the potential to generate an additional 850,000 kWh per year.

Off-switch

This year we trialled switching off our refrigerated beers and wines cabinets, in a bid to find new ways to reduce our energy consumption and carbon emissions.

We began by switching the units off overnight at 78 Food stores. This was then extended to include daytime hours, only switching them on between 2pm and 7pm. Having already seen positive results, this is something we will continue to test and expand.

Energy and carbon reporting

Our emissions data is reported in line with the UK government's Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR) policy and is calculated using the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol - Corporate Standard with reference to UK Government GHG Conversion Factors for Company Reporting 2022 and in-house tools.

Using this method, our carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions in metric tonnes for the past two financial years are as follows:

Source	2022/23 (metric tonnes)	2021/22 (metric tonnes)
Electricity	6,788.25	7,728.47	↓
Natural Gas	188.25	307.63	↓
Gas Oil	5.52	20.49	↓
Kerosene	14.79	8.44	↑
Transport	520.04	500.94	↑
Fugitive Refrigerant Gas	2,242.75	2,551.14	↓
Total	9,759.59	11,117.10	↓

Reducing carbon emissions and improving our energy efficiency are top priorities for our co-op. We're committed to using energy from sustainable sources to power our stores, branches and central offices. We've achieved a 12.2% decrease (since the previous year) in our overall tCO2e (metric tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent).

Energy use from electricity, gas and transport fuel

Electricity - This is the total amount of electricity used at our commercial and operational premises, excluding on-site generated renewable energy.

Natural Gas - The total amount of Natural Gas used at our commercial premises.

Gas Oil and Kerosene - A very small number of our premises have oil fired heating. We're looking to replace these.

Transport - This is the amount of energy in the form of fuel used for transport on Society business, excluding deliveries by others.

Source	Energy use kWh
Electricity	35,029,857.59
Natural Gas	1,031,258.00
Gas Oil	188.15
Kerosene	566.34
Transport (Scope 1)	1,841,476.01
Transport (Scope 2)	73,306.31
Transport (Scope 3)	305,244.02

Aligning our sustainability strategy

There are a number of recognised models for tracking and reporting on sustainability. Closely matching our co-operative values, we chose to use the Sustainable Development Goals Compass.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were adopted by all United Nations Members States in 2015. Also known as the Global Goals, they aim to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030.

We've chosen six SDGs that we feel we can have a real, meaningful impact on. They are:

Zero Hunger - Our co-op has a strong focus on helping to deliver food justice in our region. We'll continue to work closely with local and national organisations to understand how we can best design and support initiatives that contribute to the goal of 'Zero Hunger'.
Quality Education - Raising awareness and equipping our colleagues with the right knowledge and skills is key to integrating sustainability throughout our business and promoting it within our communities.
Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure - We're committed to undertaking development projects across our business that will keep our buildings sustainable and contribute to sustainability in our local area.
Gender Equality - We're committed to being an inclusive organisation as diverse as our communities. We recognise that there is more to be done to realise real change, but we're dedicated to achieving gender equality and continuing to empower all women and girls across our co-operative.
Decent Work and Economic Growth - As a local co-op, supporting the communities we serve is deep rooted in our DNA. To promote sustainable economic growth and employment we'll continue to re-invest in our communities through local development projects and by supporting local businesses.
Climate Action - Reducing our carbon emissions and improving our energy efficiency are top priorities for our co-op. We're committed to using energy from sustainable sources to power our stores, branches and central office, and to deliver our services to our members and customers.

This report reflects our five 'Our Co-op' strategies.
Click on a strategy to learn more:

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Improving the daily lives of our colleagues

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