Pillar 2 Environment and climate protection

To reduce CO2 emissions, we are continually cutting back our energy consumption, relying on renewable energy sources and investing in sustainable mobility and logistics solutions. The use of the latest standards for sustainable buildings and a targeted waste and recycling management system also ensure that we use natural resources sparingly.

Coop is significantly reducing its own energy consumption and protecting the climate by systematically reducing CO2 emissions.

SBTi

Science based targets initiative (SBTi)- Commitment by the Coop Group

Ban

Ban on air freight for herbs between May and September

13 Mio.

Saving through active shift to rail – Railcare: saving over 13 million road kilometres

74,171 t

Direct greenhouse gas emissions (Scope 1): 74,171 tonnes of CO2

7,617 t

Indirect greenhouse gas emissions (Scope 2): 7,617 tonnes of CO2

100%

STEINFELS, REISMÜHLE NUTREX: 100% renewable energy

100%

HALBA: 100% CO2-neutral production

Initiative

BELL FOOD GROUP (Hilcona): “Climate-Friendly Food” initiative for climate-friendly menus in public food service businesses

Pioneer

BELL FOOD GROUP (Bell Switzerland): Switzerland’s first high-pressure heat pump put into use to reduce emissions

Solar

BELL FOOD GROUP (Bell Spain): new photovoltaic systems in Azuaga, Fuensalida and Casarrubios
64,299 t
Direct greenhouse gas emissions (Scope 1): 64,299 tonnes of CO2
33,250 t
Indirect greenhouse gas emissions by energy suppliers (Scope 2): 33,250 tonnes of CO2
118,800  t
Direct greenhouse gas emissions (Scope 1): 118,800 tonnes of CO2
86,680 t
Indirect greenhouse gas emissions by energy suppliers (Scope 2): 86,680 tonnes of CO2

REDUCING ENERGY CONSUMPTION

As its concentration increases in the atmosphere, the greenhouse gas CO2 is leading to permanent global warming, disrupting the balance of our ecosystem. To minimize our impact on climate change, each year we record our CO2 footprint and identify the measures needed to further reduce our energy consumption. We offset emissions from business trips, coop.ch delivery trips, air freight and business vehicles through climate protection projects along our own supply chain. We also continually increase the use of renewable energy sources.

  • SBTi

    Science based targets initiative (SBTi)- Commitment by the Coop Group

  • Ban

    Ban on air freight for herbs between May and September

  • 13 Mio.

    Saving through active shift to rail – Railcare: saving over 13 million road kilometres

  • 74,171 t

    Direct greenhouse gas emissions (Scope 1): 74,171 tonnes of CO2

  • 7,617 t

    Indirect greenhouse gas emissions (Scope 2): 7,617 tonnes of CO2

  • Target 1 We are reducing energy consumption in absolute terms by 8.6% compared with 2012.
  • Target 2 We are increasing the percentage of renewable energy sources to 72.7%.
    Fill-level meter: %
  • Target 3We are reducing CO2 emissions in absolute terms by 19.2% compared with 2012.
  • Comment We were able to keep our energy consumption at a constant low level of 1,016 megawatt hours and our CO2e emissions at 84,718 metric tons in 2021. As less biodiesel was available on the market, we have adjusted our target for switching to renewable energy sources.
  • Measures
    • Consideration for climate protection in the manufacture and transport of products
    • Sustainability standards in mobility and logistics and building management
    • Use of natural refrigerants such as CO2 and ammonia in supermarkets (Action 94)
    • Installation of closed refrigerating units and use of waste heat from cooling equipment
    • Low-CO2 energy generation
    • Renewable energy sources to generate heat
    • Offsetting through climate protection projects to the Gold standard (the world’s most stringent offsetting standard)
    • Less air freight
    • 100% CO2-neutral textiles in the Naturaline Textiles own-label brand
    • Zero peat in composts to preserve moorland
    • Founding member of WWF Climate Savers and now a Climate Partner of the WWF

  • Strong inner drive in 2021

    Action 396: Over 100 new e-charging stations at our stores by 2023

    10 ongoing climate protection projects in partnership with the WWF

    1 ongoing climate protection project with the Fair Recycling Foundation

  • 100%

    STEINFELS, REISMÜHLE NUTREX: 100% renewable energy

  • 100%

    HALBA: 100% CO2-neutral production

  • Initiative

    BELL FOOD GROUP (Hilcona): “Climate-Friendly Food” initiative for climate-friendly menus in public food service businesses

  • Pioneer

    BELL FOOD GROUP (Bell Switzerland): Switzerland’s first high-pressure heat pump put into use to reduce emissions

  • Solar

    BELL FOOD GROUP (Bell Spain): new photovoltaic systems in Azuaga, Fuensalida and Casarrubios

  • 64,299 t

    Direct greenhouse gas emissions (Scope 1): 64,299 tonnes of CO2

  • 33,250 t

    Indirect greenhouse gas emissions by energy suppliers (Scope 2): 33,250 tonnes of CO2

  • Target 1 We are reducing energy consumption in absolute terms by 7% compared with 2015.
  • Target 2We are increasing the percentage of renewable energy sources to 60%.
    Fill-level meter: %
  • Target 3We are reducing CO2 emissions in absolute terms by 21.2% compared with 2015.

    Comments

    Our targets have all been exceeded. Although energy consumption increased slightly compared to the previous year due to an increase in production to 612,540 megawatt hours, we were able to reduce CO2e emissions to 70,014 metric tons through various changes to renewable energies.  

  • Measures
    • Energy consumption analyses to identify scope for optimization in processing, and appropriate measures
    • Continued use of waste heat and cold occurring in production processes
    • Use of renewable energies to generate heat (e.g. wood chippings or heat pumps)
    • Sustainability standards in mobility and logistics and building management
    • Installation of closed refrigerating units and use of waste heat from cooling equipment
    • Low-CO2 electricity generation and optimization of the electricity mix

  • 118,800 t

    Direct greenhouse gas emissions (Scope 1): 118,800 tonnes of CO2

  • 86,680 t

    Indirect greenhouse gas emissions by energy suppliers (Scope 2): 86,680 tonnes of CO2

  • Target 1We are reducing specific energy consumption (heat/electricity) at our sales outlets in Western Europe by 5.3% per m2 and in Eastern Europe by 1.3% (compared with 2015).
    Fill-level meter:  MWh

    Western Europe:


    Eastern Europe:
  • Target 2We are reducing specific energy consumption in deliveries by 20.4% per tonne of goods delivered (compared with 2015).
  • Target 3In the cash & carry business, we are reducing specific CO2 emissions per m2 by 5.7% in Western Europe and in Eastern Europe by 6.0% (compared with 2015).
    Fill-level meter: Tonnes

    Western Europe:



    Eastern Europe:

  • Target 4We are reducing specific CO2 emissions in deliveries by 18.8% per tonne of goods delivered (compared with 2015).
  • Comments

    We were able to further reduce both energy consumption and CO2 emissions at our sales outlets and exceed the final targets. Due to the pandemic, however, fewer goods were delivered overall. The inefficient use of delivery route capacity left us unable to meet the targets for deliveries.

  • Measures
    • General reduction in CO2 emissions
    • Sustainability standards in mobility and logistics and building management
    • Installation of closed refrigerating units and use of waste heat from cooling equipment
    • Low-CO2 energy generation
    • Renewable energy sources to generate heat
    • Pilot projects using energy measurement systems
    • Optimization of the electricity mix to lower CO2 emissions

SDGs

Coop is reducing and optimizing specific use of materials and substances and waste.

25

Reusable: in total, we collect and recycle 25 different materials

Strategy

Circular economy strategy concept agreed

News

Circular Economy Switzerland charter signed

87%

BELL FOOD GROUP: 87% of waste is recycled

100%

HALBA: 100% of cocoa shell waste is reused

92.5 %

TRANSGOURMET Germany: leading the way with a recycling rate of 92.5%

Waste Closing loops

Avoiding, rather than causing waste: we are committed to the responsible use of resources and to reducing the amount of waste we generate. Through targeted waste management and the concept of the circular economy, we are continually minimizing and optimizing our use of materials and substances and closing product cycles by reusing raw materials while also saving costs. Thus, the food waste and leftovers from restaurants that occur despite all our efforts are fermented into biogas, and the digestate is used as fresh compost and liquid fertilizer for agriculture. To reduce the amount of waste generated at home by our customers, we are constantly working on using fewer packaging materials and switching to the most environmentally sound alternatives.

  • 25

    Reusable: in total, we collect and recycle 25 different materials

  • Strategy

    Circular economy strategy concept agreed

  • News

    Circular Economy Switzerland charter signed

  • Our targetWe are increasing the quota of reusable materials to 80%.
    Target indicator: %

  • CommentsOur target has not been achieved. In total, we produced 135,270 tonnes of waste last year. 78.4% of that total was either recycled or used as fuel. The remaining 21.6% was disposed of as household waste, bulky waste or building rubble in landfills for inert materials.
  • Measures
    • Monthly recording of clean materials separately collected and recycled at sales outlets. Each point of sale has a disposal concept specific to it and the sales format involved.
    • Specific disposal concept in each sales outlet and sales format
    • Sparing use of resources, promotion of their reuse through targeted waste management and the circular economy: reduction in volume of household waste, optimization of materials (taking due account of longevity, repairability, modularity) and increase in recycling rate
    • Organic waste is transformed into animal feed, biogas, biodiesel for our trucks, and the digestate into compost and liquid fertilizer for agriculture
    • Commitment to Swiss Recycling’s circular economy platform and to the “Design for Recycling Alliance”.
    • Cooperation with various partners in the area of waste and recycling
    • Guideline on secondary packaging
    • Recycling stations at our sales outlets, facility to return various materials
    • Commitment to combating litter in partnership with IGSU Interest Group for a Clean Environment
  • Strong inner drive in 2021

    Hire and repair service for machines and appliances at Coop Building & Hobby and Fust

    Action 366: Utilizing milling by-products to close material cycles

    Fund project: Worm composting in cascading use: first industrial worm composting in Switzerland, to make use of residual materials from mushroom production and milling by-products to manufacture fertilizers and substrate

  • 87%

    BELL FOOD GROUP: 87% of waste is recycled

  • 100%

    HALBA: 100% of cocoa shell waste is reused

  • Our target We are increasing the quota of reusable materials to 85%.
    Target indicator: %

  • CommentsOur target has been achieved. In total, we produced 103,359 tonnes of waste last year. 86.6 % of that total was either recycled or used as fuel. The remaining 13.4% was disposed of as household waste, bulky waste or building rubble in landfills for inert materials.
  • Measures
    • Analysis of industrial sidestreams at all manufacturing companies, waste occurring during the processing of raw materials.
    • Monthly recording of reusable materials separately collected and recycled
    • Sparing use of resources, promotion of their reuse through targeted waste management and the circular economy
    • Guideline on secondary packaging
  • Strong inner drive in 2021

    SWISSMILL – Action 366: Utilizing milling by-products to close material cycles

    SWISSMILL – Fund project: first industrial worm compositing in Switzerland, to make use of residual materials from mushroom production and milling by-products to manufacture fertilizers and substrate

  • 92.5 %

    TRANSGOURMET Germany: leading the way with a recycling rate of 92.5%

  • Our targetWe are increasing the quota of reusable materials to 73.0%.
    Target indicator: %

  • CommentsOur target has been achieved. In total, we produced 52,676 tonnes of waste last year. 78.7% of that total was either recycled or used as fuel. The remaining 21.3% was disposed of as household waste, bulky waste or building rubble in landfills for inert materials.
  • Measures
    • Recording of reusable materials separately collected and recycled
    • Ongoing reduction in residual waste volume
    • sparing use of resources
    • promotion of their reuse through targeted waste management

SDGs

Coop has innovative and environmentally friendly mobility and logistics solutions.

32.4%

32.4% of our trucks are powered by carbon-neutral biodiesel from organic waste (such as frying oil from our restaurants)

H2

Construction of 2 new hydrogen filling stations, in Crissier and Bern

Ban

Ban on air freight for herbs between May and September

Price

Winner of the Lean & Green Award for greener transport

Innovation 

TRANSGOURMET SWITZERLAND: telematics successfully trialled and introduced

1 new hydrogen-fuelled truck and 2 new electric trucks

Used cooking oil taken back for free and recycled as biodiesel

New

TRANSGOURMET ÖSTERREICH: member of the Council for Sustainable Logistics

29

TRANSGOURMET GERMANY: 29 new natural gas-propelled trucks

MOBILITY & LOGISTICS CO2e ROAD MAP

A large proportion of CO2 emissions comes from goods transport. We are committed to innovative and alternative fuels such as hydrogen, biodiesel from waste, or biogas. By shifting our goods transport in excess of 90 kilometres (= 1 trip from Zurich to Basel) to rail, we are further reducing the environmental impact of our logistics. We offset our air freight and business trips as well as coop.ch delivery trips. Furthermore, by basing our range around seasonal and regional products, we promote the purchase of products that have travelled shorter distances.

  • 32.4%

    32.4% of our trucks are powered by carbon-neutral biodiesel from organic waste (such as frying oil from our restaurants)

  • H2

    Construction of 2 new hydrogen filling stations, in Crissier and Bern

  • Ban

    Ban on air freight for herbs between May and September

  • Price

    Winner of the Lean & Green Award for greener transport

  • Target 1 For goods transport in excess of 90 km from the national distribution centres, we are switching from road to rail.

    Comments

    Our target has been achieved. For distances in excess of 90 km, we have been consistently transferred our goods transport from road to rail, enabling us to save over 13 million road kilometres last year.

  • Target 2 We are trialling and implementing innovative mobility solutions.

    Comments
    Our target has been achieved. We have successfully continued our pioneering work with the use of hydrogen in transport logistics.
  • Measures
    • Greater efficiency in logistics, shifting goods transport to rail, promotion of innovative transport systems based on renewable energies
    • Use of CO2-neutral biodiesel from organic waste for our trucks (this might contain substances such as frying oil from our manufacturing companies and restaurants)
    • Development and trialling of future-proof mobility systems by our rail company railCare AG
    • Pioneer in hydrogen-fuelled mobility, founder of the H2 Mobility Association, construction of the first public hydrogen filling station
    • Promotion of electromobility
    • Cargo sous terrain (CST): switching goods transport underground – initiation and co-development of the project from the outset.
  • Strong inner drive in 2021

    Action 396: Over 100 new e-charging stations at our stores by 2023

    New Fund project: Tool to compare CO2e emissions between rail and truck transport

  • Innovation

    TRANSGOURMET SWITZERLAND: telematics successfully trialled and introduced

    1 new hydrogen-fuelled truck and 2 new electric trucks

    Used cooking oil taken back for free and recycled as biodiesel

  • New

    TRANSGOURMET ÖSTERREICH: member of the Council for Sustainable Logistics

  • 29

    TRANSGOURMET GERMANY: 29 new natural gas-propelled trucks

  • Our target We are trialling and implementing innovative mobility solutions.
  • Comments Our target has not been achieved, due to the pandemic. Due to the pandemic and the associated restaurant closures, our delivery route capacity was badly under-utilized.
  • Measures
    • Greater efficiency in logistics, switching goods transport
    • Promotion of innovative transport systems based on renewable energies
    • Development and trialing of future-proof mobility systems
    • Trials of telematics, truck fleet being gradually switched

SDGs

Coop is reducing and optimizing specific use of materials and substances and waste.
16,500 m2
New photovoltaic units on Coop roofs: 16,500 m2 (equivalent to around 3 football pitches)

100%

LED lighting in supermarkets and Coop restaurants

New

TRANSGOURMET FRANCE: 2 new buildings with LED lighting = 10% electricity saving, 2 new locations with refrigerants = 10-15% energy saving

Building blocks for the future

Buildings are among the biggest consumers of primary resources. By using sustainable construction methods, we are reducing CO2 emissions and promoting the efficient use of energy while at the same time improving the quality of the work environment for our employees. Moreover, this approach reduces operating and maintenance costs. Therefore, we always plan and optimize our new builds and renovation work in our stores, warehouses and head offices according to environmental specifications and the Minergie standard. Technical innovations are being deployed to make our sales outlets increasingly resource-friendly and energy-efficient.

  • 16,500 m2

    New photovoltaic units on Coop roofs: 16,500 m2 (equivalent to around 3 football pitches)

  • 100%

    LED lighting in supermarkets and Coop restaurants

  • Our target We are developing a comprehensive “Sustainable Construction” concept and consistently implementing this in our new buildings and when renovating existing buildings.
  • Comments Our target has been achieved. Going forward, we will continue equipping and converting our buildings with sustainable technologies, and will also take greater account of the landscaping concept.
  • Measures
    • New builds and renovations: consistently to Minergie standard, LED technology for lighting, CO2 as a refrigerant, installation of closed refrigerating units, use of waste heat from cooling equipment, fossil fuels no longer used for heating in new builds and renovations
    • Use of solar power by steadily adding more photovoltaic units on our roofs
    • Support for the Sustainable Construction Switzerland standard (SNBS)
    • Use of recyclable building materials in properties, with focus on energy efficiency and renewable energies
    • New focus on energy use, manufacturing processes and raw materials in construction materials and their recycling (direct influence on net zero emissions by 2050 target)

  • New

    TRANSGOURMET FRANCE: 2 new buildings with LED lighting = 10% electricity saving, 2 new locations with refrigerants = 10-15% energy saving

  • Our target We take account of sustainability standards in our new buildings and when renovating existing buildings.
  • Comments Our target has not been achieved. We will intensify our focus on this issue over the next year and use sustainable technologies and construction standards in all new buildings and when renovating existing buildings.
  • Measures
    • We will be consistently implementing further measures in new buildings and those undergoing renovation: Minergie standard, LED technology for lighting, CO2 as a refrigerant, heat recovery, closed refrigerating units
    • Expansion of photovoltaic units on our roofs

SDGs