Supermarkets have been slammed for the massive global warming impact of their refrigeration.
The Environmental Investigation Agency ranked retailers according to their efforts to modernise their equipment and prevent damaging leaks.
Marks & Spencer came out top in the survey, while Aldi, Lidl and Iceland came last. Tesco was the best of the big four supermarkets and Morrisons the worst.
Traditional refrigeration equipment uses HFC chemicals, each molecule of which can have up to 14,000 times the global warming impact of CO2. Leaking fridges were responsible for a quarter of supermarkets’ global warming impact, according to the survey.
“Even though supermarkets know that their refrigeration chemicals are a major contributor to climate change, they’re not doing much about it,” said the EIA’s Fionnuala Walravens. The EIA report did, however, acknowledge efforts by some retailers to introduce greener refrigeration.
“We are doing more than any other retailer to reduce emissions,” said a spokeswoman for Marks & Spencer. “Since this report was done we’ve installed climate-friendly alternatives in eight more stores and five food depots.
“We have an industry-leading commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from all of our refrigeration by 50% by 2015.”
Meanwhile, Tesco revealed it had sold more low-energy lightbulbs – 4.5 million – this January than in the whole of 2006.
The Environmental Investigation Agency ranked retailers according to their efforts to modernise their equipment and prevent damaging leaks.
Marks & Spencer came out top in the survey, while Aldi, Lidl and Iceland came last. Tesco was the best of the big four supermarkets and Morrisons the worst.
Traditional refrigeration equipment uses HFC chemicals, each molecule of which can have up to 14,000 times the global warming impact of CO2. Leaking fridges were responsible for a quarter of supermarkets’ global warming impact, according to the survey.
“Even though supermarkets know that their refrigeration chemicals are a major contributor to climate change, they’re not doing much about it,” said the EIA’s Fionnuala Walravens. The EIA report did, however, acknowledge efforts by some retailers to introduce greener refrigeration.
“We are doing more than any other retailer to reduce emissions,” said a spokeswoman for Marks & Spencer. “Since this report was done we’ve installed climate-friendly alternatives in eight more stores and five food depots.
“We have an industry-leading commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from all of our refrigeration by 50% by 2015.”
Meanwhile, Tesco revealed it had sold more low-energy lightbulbs – 4.5 million – this January than in the whole of 2006.
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