[Image courtesy of www.tesco.com]
With the support of China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM), CBI member Tesco recently held its second Retail Sustainable Development Forum in China in Suzhou.
Tesco has set the target of becoming a zero carbon business by 2050. To meet that target, the retailer plans to halve the emissions from its stores by 2020 and in its distribution network by 2012/3. Tesco also aims to work with its suppliers to reduce the emissions in its supply chain by 30% by 2020.
In China, Tesco is actively supporting retailers in their efforts to go green, developing green and low carbon distribution networks, and advocating the concept of green consumption among customers.
As part of its sustainability efforts in the country, Tesco launched its first green logistics centre in China last year. Located in Jiashan in Zhejiang province, the 55,000 square metre facility features an integrated energy-efficient design, which incorporates an extensive range of green technologies that use renewable energy sources and reduce energy and water usage.
Employing over 26,000 people and serving over four million customers per week in China, Tesco currently has 110 hypermarkets across 11 provinces and 14 small trial express stores in Shanghai.
Please click here to read the speech delivered by Lucy Neville-Rolfe, CMG, Executive Director, Corporate and Legal Affairs at Tesco, at Tesco's Retail Sustainable Development Forum in China.