Marks and Spencer Group PLC (LSE:MKS) and Ocado Group PLC (LSE:OCDO) languish at the bottom of UK’s greenest supermarkets, according to research by consumer rights organisation Which?.
Meanwhile, Lidl and Waitrose were joint top of the range for sustainability, following the analysis of hundreds of pieces of supermarket data, with a score of 74%.
Lidl scored highly for its low greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and its targets to reach net-zero for its operational emissions in 2022, while Waitrose did consistently well across all the categories that Which? looked at.
GHG emissions were weighted as 50% of a company’s total score, while food waste and plastic usage constituted 25% each.
Asda and J Sainsbury PLC (LSE:SBRY) were tied in third place, just three percentage points behind the two leaders.
Tesco PLC (LSE:TSCO) rounded off the ‘top 5,’ with a score of 69%.
Out of the ‘top 11’ UK supermarkets, only Iceland performed worse than M&S and Ocado when it came to contributing towards the global transition to a carbon-neutral future.
But Iceland’s shocking performance is likely due to the high energy usage required to store the frozen food it sells.
The sheer size of the big supermarkets means they have a large impact on the environment, through powering their shops and refrigerators, operating delivery vans and depots, packaging their products, and handling their waste, Which? said.
Which? had suggestions on how shoppers can make a conscious effort to purchase more sustainable products and positively impact the environment,
These steps include:
· Avoiding packaging when possible
· Eating fresh seasonal produce
· Cutting down on meat and dairy
· Not wasting food
· Choosing an eco-delivery when shopping online