Climate Change

The urgent need to tackle climate change

As a food retailer, we must be accountable for our impact and play our role in tackling climate change. The urgent need to act now is clear.

We also recognise that the food system we operate in is susceptible to the growing risks faced from extreme and more varied weather patterns. The challenge is great and one that no individual organisation can tackle alone. We are therefore working in collaboration and joining together strategies across our supply chains and systems to take an affective approach to deliver change.

Our commitment

It’s crucial we understand and take action to limit our environmental impact across all our activities - from operating our stores, to producing the products we sell, to how these are used by our customers. Working with global climate consultancy the Carbon Trust, Lidl GB has developed science-aligned climate targets. We have committed to a near and long-term SBT (Science-based target) in all scopes:

Near term: Lidl GB commits to reduce scope 1&2* and scope 3 (non-FLAG) absolute emissions by 42% by 2030, from a FY20 baseline.
Long term: Lidl GB commits to reduce scope 1&2* and scope 3 (non-FLAG) absolute emissions by 90% by 2050, from a FY20 baseline.
Scope 3 (FLAG): Lidl GB absolute emissions by 30.3% by FY30 and 72% by 2050, from a FY20 baseline.

While our targets are aligned the most recent SBTi guidance, they have not been submitted for validation.

In February 2023, we also became the first discount supermarket to join the WWF Basket and sign the WWF’s Retailers’ Commitment for Nature, pledging to halve the environmental impact of UK shopping baskets by 2030. Read more about the Commitment here.

Read our latest sustainability report

Our footprint

Over 98% of our impact occurs across our value chain - known as Scope 3 emissions - primarily through the food and non-food products we sell. Emissions from our direct operations - known as Scope 1 and 2 - represent less than 2% of our total carbon impact. Learn more below.

Our approach to tackling emissions in our direct business

Even though the majority of emissions occur outside of our direct business, it is crucially important that we focus on reducing these as far as we can. This includes minimising our impacts by conserving resources. Between February 2021 and 2022, improved energy efficiency, more renewable energy generation and a higher mix of renewable sources in the UK’s electricity mix combined to helped us reduce our Scope 1 and 2 emission intensity by 15%. Read below to find out more about the actions we're taking on Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions.

Scope 1 & 2

Using more renewable and efficient energy

We purchase 100% of the electricity we use from renewable sources. And where possible, all new stores are installed with solar PV arrays. We started retrofitting stores with solar PV in 2022.
Over 90% of the lights in our store use efficient LED technology. In 2022, we saved 10,200 MWh.
Since 2017, we’ve certified the energy management system across our stores, distribution centres and offices to ISO 50001 standard.

Moving to fossil fuel free transport

We’ve set a clear goal to cease using any fossil fuels to deliver products to our stores by 2030. We are doing this in the shorter term by transitioning the fleet we use from diesel to biogas.
However, other technologies are developing at pace. We will be testing these for viability as we build a more sustainable transport network and infrastructure.

Lowering transport emissions

Since 2015, we’ve reduced our carbon emissions per pallet transported by almost 40%.
As well as sourcing locally where possible, we’re plotting more efficient delivery routes in partnership with our logistics partners to cut food miles.
We are proud to have converted over 43,000 tonnes of non-edible food waste into biogas – being used to power over 20% over the vehicles in the fleet delivering products to our stores. We’re continuing to trial more alternative fuels.

Reducing our store and warehouse emissions

With half of our operational energy use coming from refrigeration, we’re investing in energy-saving technologies to keep our fresh food chilled or frozen.
From glazed doors on fridges that achieve energy savings of up to 40%, to rapid action insulated doors with air curtains within our warehouses - our interventions are reducing energy demand whilst helping us offer top quality, fresh food.

Scope 3

Working with suppliers

We're working to ensure that, by 2026, the suppliers representing 75% of our product-related emissions have targets aligned to the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) - a leading, globally renowned body that defines best practise for science-based climate targets.
We're also working on dedicated sustainability initiatives through our Grassroots Partnership and as part of our commitment to achieving full LEAF Marque certification across our British fresh produce supplier base by the end of 2023.

Improving carbon footprint data

We’ve launched an engagement platform with ClimatePartner providing guidance tailored for our suppliers' emissions-reduction journey.

Supporting sustainable sourcing and consumption

Offering our shoppers more sustainable products like plant-based alternatives to meat and dairy. Read more about our work on sustainable diets here.
Sourcing our raw materials from certified sustainable, including deforestation-free, sources. Read more here.
Learn more about some of our responsible sourcing initiatives below.

Our responsible eggs

In partnership with our Scottish egg supplier Duncan’s, in September 2023 we launched our RSPCA-Assured free range responsible eggs. We have reduced the environmental impact of this product by:
- Removing soy from animal feed and replacing this with locally grown rapeseed, beans, peas, and maize.
- Using 100% renewable energy across the farm and at the packing site.
- Carbon footprinting the entire farm.
- Offsetting any remaining carbon by investing in a Gold Standard certified wind energy project in Chile and a tree planting project near the Lake District in the UK.
- Working with ClimatePartner to certify our entire carbon footprinting and reduction process.

Our responsible cheese

In May 2021, we launched our Deluxe Cheddar cheese in partnership with our supplier, Somerset cheesemaker Wyke Farms.
We’re working closely with Wyke Farms to reduce on-farm emissions through enhanced management of soil, land, energy, manure, and even herds. As part of this project, farmers are also using more low-food mile products, less fertiliser and more deforestation-free animal feed.
Our Deluxe Cheddar cheese saw a carbon footprint reduction of 23% in 2022 and we’re implementing a strategy for continual reduction year-on-year.
Thanks to a combination of sustainable farming practices and purchase of Gold Standard carbon offsets, this cheese has achieved certification to the globally recognised PAS 2060 standard by the Carbon Trust.

Our partners

Across the sector we acknowledge more needs to be done and the drastic progress needed can only be achieved working together. We’re committed to reaching our objectives, working alongside a range of key industry stakeholders. We’re active members in several industry groups, including WWF, WRAP’s Climate Action Working Group, the Retail Energy Forum and the British Retail Consortium’s Climate Action Roadmap encouraging industry coordination and collaboration.