Going towards net zero emission

Zsolt Pálinkás
DEO
Tesco-Global

Zsolt Pálinkás, CEO of Tesco Magyarország: “We know very well that our business operations depend on our environment, as food can only be produced in a healthy and natural world. Therefore it is in Tesco’s interest to do everything we can to fight climate change. Tesco is dedicated to operating responsibly and sustainably. Being one of the biggest retailers, we have the potential to make serious changes. Tesco has committed to reach net-zero target in its operations by 2035, cut emissions from its products and supply chains to zero by 2050.”

Not a single bite of edible food should be wasted

For Tesco it is a priority to reduce food waste, across the whole supply chain, from farm to fork. This is very important as approximately 10% of greenhouse gases are related to food waste. In just 5 years Tesco managed to generate 69% less food waste. Unsold food is mainly given to charity organisations and local communities. The rest ends up at animal shelters, pet food companies or utilised as compost in biogas factories. Tesco’s Hungarian food saving programme started in 2014. At the end of each working day leftover food is collected in more than 160 Tesco stores, and usually handed over to the representatives of the Hungarian Food Bank Association and its partners. Since the start of Tesco’s programme, the company has donated more than 31,000 tonnes of food to people in need, which equals to a 100,500-tonne reduction in CO2 emission.

Sometimes less is more

“We take special care to source the most sustainable products, and we only use packaging when it is absolutely necessary. Tesco has made a commitment to switch to 100% recyclable packaging for its own branded products by 2025” – informed the CEO. Tesco is also regularly introducing new solutions to cut down on the emission from logistics and home delivery. In the autumn of 2021, the retailer started using an e-truck for delivering Unilever products to Tesco stores. Recently Tesco became the first company in Hungary, to begin delivering online food orders using electric vans in Budapest. (x)