P-05-878 Shut the Door on Wasted Energy, Correspondence – Sainsbury’s to Committee, 21.06.19

Dear Ms Saunders,

Thank you for your letter dated 14 June to Mike Coupe who has asked to me respond on his behalf.

As one of the UK’s leading retailers, we are committed to reducing the environmental impact of our business and we have the bold ambition to be the greenest grocer by cutting carbon emissions from our heating, cooling, lighting and logistics. Since 2005 we have reduced our absolute carbon emissions by 35%.

We continuously work to reduce our carbon footprint through new technologies to maximize energy efficiency and this year we rolled out aerofoil technology for our refrigerators across 1,400 Sainsbury’s stores. Inspired by Formula 1 innovations, aerofoil prevents cold air from fridges spilling out into aisles, reduces energy use by 15 per cent and complements our night blinds, which save an additional 35% energy when the store is closed.

We believe that aerofoils are currently the best solution to meet our energy reduction targets while serving our customers. In the coming year we will also continue to test opportunities for further energy efficiency in our stores including doors on fridges and Internet of Things technology linked to metering.

If you would like to discuss what we are doing in more detail or have any specific questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Yours sincerely,