Morrisons commits to net zero carbon emissions by 2035

Morrisons has announced it has brought forward its commitment to be net zero carbon emissions from its own operations by 2035. 

This comes five years earlier than initially pledged and 15 years ahead of the UK government target.

Morrisons has also announced its commitment to reducing its wider ‘Scope 3’ emissions across its entire own brand supply chain by 30% by 2030.

Morrisons said the company is “ahead of forecast” in reducing its operational carbon emissions. Having promised a 33% reduction in carbon emissions by 2025, Morrisons has already reached a reduction of 32%, saving almost 300,000 tonnes of CO2 since 2017.  

As part of its carbon reduction plan, Morrisons said it will become the first supermarket to own and operate its own solar ‘farm’ across sites and stores. 

The farm will become the latest addition to Morrisons sites and infrastructure giving increased control over its operations and costs. Morrisons currently owns 18 food-making facilities across the country. 

Almost all of the power generated from the solar panels will be channelled straight into Morrisons stores and sites rather than going into the national grid. The green energy will supply Morrisons store appliances that require the most energy, including fridges and freezers.  

Future carbon reductions will be achieved by Morrisons by being “directly supplied” by net zero carbon British farms, reducing energy and using renewable energy, using low carbon vehicles and offering EV charging, reducing food waste and food miles and ensuring zero deforestation in its supply chains. 

Morrisons also said it plans to help its suppliers audit and reduce their CO2 emissions.

David Potts, CEO at Morrisons, said: “The climate crisis is the greatest challenge of our generation – and the time is now. As a supermarket we depend on a healthy planet to produce the goods we sell to customers. 

“We’ve committed to removing carbon emissions, rather than setting a carbon neutral target that would depend heavily on offsetting. We’re also investing resources to bring forward our net zero commitment by five years which is very ambitious but very necessary. Our new solar farm and net zero carbon agriculture programme are just two ways we’ll achieve our commitment.” 

Hugh Jones, managing director and advisory at the Carbon Trust said: “By aligning its goals with a 1.5°C future Morrisons is ensuring it builds resilience firmly into its business model and will be positioned to thrive as the global economy moves to zero emissions.”