French retailer Carrefour has set the target to achieve carbon neutrality by 2040 by reducing emissions from its activities at source as much as possible.
It will focus, in particular, on using completely renewable electricity by 2030, replacing all of its fluorinated refrigerants with natural fluids and further reducing its energy consumption.
Together, all these initiatives will remove 1,280,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent by 2040, the company noted.
In 2020, the targets set within the framework of the Science-Based Target initiatives included a 30% reduction in emissions by 2030 and a 55% reduction by 2040, compared with 2019 levels.
This equates to an annual reduction in emissions of 2.5% for a 'well below 2°C' pathway, namely one approved by the SBTi initiative as being compatible with keeping global warming to below 2°C by 2100.
In 2020, Carrefour reduced emissions by 9% compared with 2019.
Henceforth, the company plans to reduce emissions resulting from its activities by 50% by 2030 and by 70% by 2040, compared with 2019, levels – a target aligned with the SBTi's 1.5°C scenario.
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Initiatives
The company will give priority to on-site electricity production and will then enter into PPAs (Power Purchase Agreements).
Electricity consumption accounted for 58% of greenhouse gas emissions in 2020, the company said.
It will reduce energy consumption by 27.5% by 2030, or the equivalent of more than 1 million MWh per year, and a 240,000-tonne reduction in CO2 equivalent.
This reduction equates to €100 million worth of annual energy savings. Energy consumption accounted for 66% of greenhouse gas emissions in 2020.
Carrefour will also cut emissions resulting from the use of refrigerants by 50% by 2030 and by 80% by 2040.
It will be achieved by replacing fluorinated refrigerants with new facilities that use CO2, complying with the European F-Gas regulation.
Refrigerant consumption accounted for 34% of CO2 emissions in 2020.
