Our planet
Waste Not Want Not
Grocer Gold Award with Retail Insight
We were proud to be shortlisted for our food waste reduction efforts in partnership with Retail Insight at the Grocer Gold Awards. Our ambition is to reduce food waste to zero no later than 2030 and we have been able to use a cloud-based solution, known as WasteInsight, to progress this ambition.
WasteInsight uses AI technology to put us in control of our food waste by exposing data led intelligence and actionable insights that support the entire journey of a product through our food stores. Since its introduction, almost 90% of our reduced to clear products sell – which is approximately 50k less products being wasted in our stores over a 12-month period. We have also been able to donate any unpurchased products to local charities and good causes.
Waste Not Want Not.
Grocer Gold with Retail Insight.
We were proud to be shortlisted for our food waste reduction efforts in partnership with Retail Insight at the Grocer Gold Awards. Our ambition is to reduce food waste to zero no later than 2030 and we have been able to use a cloud-based solution, known as WasteInsight, to progress this ambition.
WasteInsight uses AI technology to put us in control of our food waste by exposing data led intelligent and actionable insights that support the entire journey of a product through our food stores. Since its introduction, almost 90% of our reduced to clear products sell – which is approximately 50k less products being wasted in our stores over a 12-month period. We have also been able to donate any unpurchased products to local charities and community good causes.
Our energy partnership
Made possible through collaboration with RWE and Inspired.
In April we joined forces with four other co-operatives to sign a landmark 10-year corporate power purchase agreement (CPPA) that supplies renewable energy to over 400 retail stores across the UK. The power is being sourced from the London Array offshore wind farm in the outer Thames Estuary.
The agreement will provide up to 53 gigawatt hours (GWh) of green electricity and significant savings to all five co-operatives that have signed the agreement. It was only made possible through a collaboration with RWE, the UK's largest power generator and a global leader in renewable energy and Inspired PLC, the UK’s leading energy and sustainability advisor.
We are proud to be one of the five co-operatives involved as it will allow us to reduce our carbon footprint, reinforce our commitment to ethical business practices, and be environmentally responsible.
Brightlingsea Travel Pod
Awarded Gold Accreditation by Suffolk Carbon Charter.
We were pleased to receive the Suffolk Carbon Charter’s seal of approval last spring for our innovative and sustainable travel pod in Brightlingsea.
The travel pod opened in December 2024 and was designed by modular design specialists, Podular Systems. It was purpose-built with the environment in mind and is the first of its kind for our co-op. The pod incorporates a range of cutting-edge features to minimise carbon impact, including solar power, high spec primary and secondary insulations as part of its structure, air-source heat pumps and an A+ energy performance rating.
Our CEO, Andy, said: "Our Travel branch has been a key part of the Brightlingsea community, helping residents plan memorable holidays and trips. It was fantastic to receive recognition from Suffolk Carbon Charter. This pod is another step towards improving our carbon footprint as a business.”
Brightlingsea Travel Pod.
Awarded Gold Accreditation by Suffolk Carbon Charter.
We were pleased to receive the Suffolk Carbon Charter’s seal of approval last spring for our innovative and sustainable travel pod in Brightlingsea.
The travel pod opened in December 2024 and was designed by modular design specialists, Podular Systems. It was purpose-built with the environment in mind and is the first of its kind for the retailer. The pod incorporates a range of cutting-edge features to minimise carbon impact, including solar power, high spec primary and secondary insulations as part of its structure, air-source heat pumps and an A+ energy performance rating.
Our CEO, Andy, said: "Our Travel branch has been a key part of the Brightlingsea community, helping residents plan memorable holidays and trips. It was fantastic to receive recognition from Suffolk Carbon Charter. This pod is another step towards improving our carbon footprint as a business.”
Woodbridge Road Food Store
Home to our first-ever solar carport.
Designed with sustainability at heart, our new Food store on Woodbridge Road opened its doors in June and it has gone from strength to strength. The Food store bolstered its eco-credentials in September by becoming home to our first-ever solar carport. This exciting addition will generate 35,000 kWhs annually (enough to power 13 UK homes for a year).
Thanks to a combination of solar power and our Corporate Power Purchase Agreement, 55% of Woodbridge Road’s energy needs come from clean, renewable sources.
We delivered a 25% reduction in total tCO2e emissions this year across Scopes 1 and 2. This was driven by substantial cuts in emissions relating to grid electricity (24%), natural gas (26%) and fugitive refrigerants (31%).
Alongside store refurbishments and refrigeration upgrades, we accelerated investment in on-site solar and secured a corporate power purchase agreement (CPPA) to supply electricity from renewable energy sources. Around 40% of our electricity need now comes from clean renewable sources. With the completion of current solar projects we will be capable of producing 5% of our current total electricity need on-site.
We have transitioned to using CO2 refrigerant in the chilled and frozen display cases across our new and refurbished branches and continue to operate a robust preventative maintenance programme to reduce the impact of refrigerant release.
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 2025 and in-house tools. Using this method, our CO2e emissions in metric tonnes for the past three financial years are as follows:
| Electricity | Natural Gas | Gas Oil | Kerosene | Diesel (static) | Transport | Fugitive Refrigerant Gas | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025/26 | 5,073 | 160 | 3 | 0 | 17 | 317 | 1,632 | 7,200 |
| 2024/25 | 6,633 | 216 | 8 | 18 | Not reported | 376 | 2,354 | 9,606 |
| 2023/24 | 7,040 | 185 | 8 | 22 | Not reported | 336 | 3,204 | 10,857 |
7,200 tonnes of CO2e is equivalent to 19.62 tCO2e per £1m turnover.
*2023/24 total emissions figure adjusted due to correction in transport data
| 2025/26 | |
|---|---|
| Source | Energy Use kWh |
| Electricity | 28,628,445 |
| Natural Gas | 871,843 |
| Gas Oil | 10,108 |
| Kerosene | 0 | Transport Scope 1 | 1,068,477 |
| Transport Scope 2 for EV | 32,094 |
| Transport Scope 3 | 209,103 |
Electricity
This is the total electricity consumption across our operational premises, excluding any on-site generated renewable energy (our solar panels provided an additional 382 MWh to our branches last year). The figure includes the clean renewable electricity sourced through our Corporate Power Purchase Agreement (CPPA).
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 working 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.
