ACS

In the lead up to the Copenhagen climate change conference, retailers across the country have exceeded targets on environmental issues of consumption and have pledged further commitments in the coming months.

A major achievement from the retailers is a 130,000 tonne reduction in the level of landfill waste in the last three years. Also, retailers have exceeded targets to reduce their energy use in buildings by 15 per cent since 2005, a goal that has been reached through a number of recycling initiatives. Last year, retailers sent just 32 per cent of their waste to landfill sites.

These and other improvements are part of the Better Retailing Climate Progress Report 2009, published by the British Retail Consortium. The report is an update on retailers plans to continue their efforts to reduce the impact of their businesses by 2013.

Business Minister Ian Lucas said: "It's really good to see how much retailers have achieved in meeting a wide range of environmental targets. They can see that it makes good business sense as they benefit from efficiency savings as well as helping consumers to play their part.

"I also welcome retailers taking the initiative of voluntarily pushing further and setting themselves even harder targets to help the UK meet its climate change goals."

James Lowman, Chief Executive of ACS said: “It’s excellent news that retailers across the country are committed to reducing their energy consumption, as can be seen by the results of today’s report. I firmly hope that this trend will endure and retailers continue to impress through 2013 and beyond.”