Sainsbury’s to remove Russian diesel from petrol stations

Sainsbury’s has pledged to stop selling Russian diesel from its petrol stations by the end of 2022, following calls from its customers, according to the Evening Standard.

The supermarket confirmed the commitment on Thursday (19 May) to halt respective sales across its 315 petrol forecourts, in line with the UK’s sanction against Russian oil imports.

Sainsbury’s has reportedly been working closely with its suppliers to reduce the amount of diesel it sources from Russia, but now the company plans to end its use entirely.

The announcement comes amid pressure on retailers and energy firms to remove products sourced from Russia amid its attack on Ukraine.

In March, the government announced that it planned a phased end of the import of Russian oil by the end of the year. Russia is the third-biggest oil producer in the world, behind Saudi Arabia and the United States.

According to the Evening Standard, Rhian Bartlett, Sainsbury’s food commercial director, said: “We stand united with the people of Ukraine and have taken a range of steps to show our support – from helping to fund the humanitarian effort on the ground, to removing products from our stores which are 100% sourced from Russia.

“This is a complex process but we are committed to working together with the rest of the UK fuel industry and Government to support the ban on Russian oil imports, which is due to take effect by the end of this year.”