Decarbonisation and the circular economy
Ensuring good environmental management in terms of our energy use, looking for alternatives to plastic and promoting the circular economy - this is what it means to be cooperative.
Environmental Policy
Consum's Environmental Policy has been updated to reduce even further the impact of its business activity on the environment, via continuous improvement of management and awareness-raising among stakeholders.
Refrigerant gases
Since 2015, 18.5 million euros have been invested in the improvement of refrigeration facilities, which has led to a drastic reduction in emissions. Refrigerant gas R404A has already been replaced in all supermarkets by R448A gas, which is 65% less polluting. In addition, stores using the new eco-efficient model employ a technology that uses CO₂, a natural refrigerant, for cold generation, with an impact which is 4,000 times less than those conventionally used. This cutting-edge technology is already implemented in 125 of the Cooperative's centres.
Eco-efficient store
Electricity is the main source of energy consumed by the Cooperative. All electricity used in 2021 was from renewable sources. In addition, Consum has installed photovoltaic solar panels in 11 supermarkets, which also allows it to generate solar energy for self-consumption.
Stores are at the heart of Consum's business. Thanks to the energy saving measures implemented in terms of lighting, refrigeration and air conditioning, the Cooperative's supermarkets are among the most eco-efficient in the distribution sector. The main measures include:
- Automation and telemetry
- LED Lighting
- Refrigerated cabinet seals
- Electric car charging stations
- Air Conditioning Renewal Plan
Logistics fleet
Through the Vehicle Renewal Plan, all trucks older than 10 years are renewed. In 2021, 20 new vehicles with state-of-the-art Euro6 engines were added, generating less polluting emissions. Consum also has 29 trucks powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG), a more efficient and cleaner alternative to petrol. 87% of the fleet are already Euro6 or natural gas vehicles.
The Cooperative also continues to extend the use of electric vehicles for the home delivery of online shopping. During 2021, 8 100% electric vans were incorporated.
Carbon Footprint
The externally verified carbon footprint has been reduced by 84% since 2015, with the Cooperative being the first company in the sector to have received the “Reduce” seal from MITECO.
In January 2022, the Cooperative joined the Science-Based Targets Initiative (SBTi), making it the first Spanish supermarket chain to join.
Circular economy
The Cooperative is working on reducing the consumption of materials, in particular plastic, in its packaging, and replacing these with more sustainable materials, as well as ensuring the recovery of all its waste. Among the main measures already implemented are fresh section bags made of compostable materials and plastic shopping bags made from over 70% recycled plastic, using plastics recovered from logistics packaging waste.
The Cooperative has measured its Plastic Footprint for the first time, showing a reduction in 2020 of 1,590 tons of virgin plastic when compared with the previous year. Currently, 11.6% of own-brand plastics are already of recycled origin or made with bioplastics.
In 2021, the Cooperative was once again given Zero Waste certification by AENOR for all its logistics platforms, in addition to its headquarters, validating the fact that more than 99% of recovered waste is already being recycled or recovered.
