Marks and Spencer Group PLC (LSE:MKS) is investing £1 million to change the diet of cows that produce its milk to reduce the methane produced when they pass wind.
One of several new measures to try and reduce its climate impact and improve sustainability, the investment will see it work with the 40 dairy farmers in its 'milk pool' in an initiative aimed at removing 11,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions from the atmosphere annually, cutting the retailer's fresh milk carbon footprint by 8.4%.
Methane from cattle burps and manure is estimated to be responsible for about 11-14% of human-induced climate emissions.
Another measure unveiled as part of the chain's Plan A sustainability plan is the launch of a £1 million accelerator fund, with two initial projects that it will support.
The first is a trial across six stores where artificial intelligence (AI) will be used to predict store optimal heating, ventilation and air conditioning controls to try and reduce energy consumption by up to 30%.
If rolled out across the entire shop estate, the FTSE 100 group said it is estimated to potentially save around 2,000 tonnes of carbon and around £3 million of cost annually.
Another trial will see customers asked to donate wearable and unwearable clothing items to Oxfam. Unwearable items will be cleaned and used to support fibre recycling to produce new material.
Chief executive Stuart Machin said the retailer is "turning our obsession with innovation towards climate change and tapping into the entrepreneurial spirit of our suppliers".
He said the company aims to be a net zero business across all its operations and supply chain by 2040.
The accelerator fund is also going to look at cleaning up energy production through green hydrogen, recycling initiatives including polytag technology for better plastic recycling tracking, agricultural technology for net zero root crops, and water conservation technologies.
Trumpeting more of its environmental, sustainable and governance (ESG) efforts in recent months, M&S said it has also invested in green fertiliser for dairy farms and introduced products like a recyclable paper fibre cup for M&S cafés, and incorporated recycled polyester in its Goodmove activewear collection.
M&S also has refill stations offering dried staples in 15 stores, trialled as a way of reducing packaging, but last year left an industry collaborationon scheme.