Zero Carbon

Objectives & Performance

Our Objectives

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions in our operations

We will reduce the operational greenhouse gas emissions of our business to achieve our vision of zero carbon.

Reducing our operational GHG emissions by 26% by 2025

Actions	Achievements	Status
As one of the first international food retailers with a company-wide approved “Science Based Target” (SBT) for climate protection, we aim to reduce our overall operational emissions by 26% by 2025 (compared to a baseline year 2016). We monitor our progress by annually calculating our Company Carbon Footprint for all of our business processes and locations in accordance with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol.	In 2020, we have overachieved our absolute target, by reducing our operational emissions by 45%. The reduction is still 31% when we include external logistics providers, who run a significant share of the transport between our regional distribution centres and stores. All ALDI countries now almost exclusively rely on green electricity and seven country organisations were operating climate-neutral in 2020. This includes Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions and emissions from external logistics providers for outbound transport (classified as Scope 3).	Ongoing

Reducing greenhouse gase emissions in our supply chain

As part of our wider commitment to minimise the impact of our products, we will also work with our business partners to cut their greenhouse gas emissions and promote climate protection projects in our supply chains.

Encouraging our suppliers to set science-based targets by 2024

Actions	Achievements	Status
We are proud to partner with suppliers who share our values. That is why we will encourage our strategic suppliers, which are responsible for 75% of product-related emissions, to work towards setting science-based greenhouse gas emissions targets by 2024.	In 2020, we started to support our business partners with online training opportunities and conducted our first annual survey on climate commitment (focus on strategic business partners). The results show that 97 strategic suppliers, who are responsible for 21% of our product-related emissions, either have a target in line with the Science Based Target initiative (SBTi) criteria or have committed to set science-based targets within the next two years.	In progress

Implementing carbon reduction projects in selected supply chains by 2025

Actions	Achievements	Status
We will work with partners along our supply chain to promote innovation at product level and implement projects to further reduce greenhouse gas emissions in our supply chains.	The ALDI SOUTH Group has become the first grocery retailer to join the Smart Freight Centres ‘Global Logistics Emissions Council’. The membership will help us navigate key business barriers by taking part in projects that will support the move towards a zero emissions global freight and logistics sector. In 2020, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Slovenia, Hungary, Great Britain and Ireland supported several environmentally focused projects to offset unavoidable carbon emissions.	Started

Our Performance

54% group-wide reduction of absolute operational emissions

More: Zero carbon

11 countries purchase 100% green electrictiy

More: Renewable energy

Suppliers responsible for 22% of our product-related emissions have targets that meet SBTi criteria

More: Supplier engagement

Operational emissions

Our Goal: We aim to reduce our overall operational GHG emissions by 26% by the end of 2025 (against baseline year 2016).

Filter:

Carbon emissions (in tCO₂e)	Scope 1	Scope 2¹⁾	TOTAL (Scope 1 & Scope 2)	Scope 3²⁾	TOTAL B (Scope 1, Scope 2, Scope 3)
2016	439,486	761,851	1,201,337	229,615	1,430,952
2021	456,118	96,936	553,054	339,687	892,741
Development			-54%		-38%

1) Scope 2 emissions are calculated on a market-based method according to the GHG Protocol standard.
2) External logistics service providers operating between regional distribution centres and stores (outbound transport) and leased assets.

Climate Protection Progress Report 2021

Download PDF

EN

Climate neutrality

The ALDI SOUTH Group is striving to become a climate-neutral company. In 2020, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Slovenia, Hungary, Great Britain and Ireland supported several environmentally focused projects to offset unavoidable carbon emissions.

Filter:

	2019	2020	2021
Countries that operate carbon-neutral	7	7	7

Electricity

We have increased the share of renewable energy usage in electricity consumption significantly over the past years. Additionally, we are generating electricity with photovoltaic systems on the roofs of more than 2,100 stores and 48 distribution centres worldwide.

Filter:

ALDI SOUTH Group	2019	2020	2021
Electricity coming from renewable sources	90%	90%	95%

Refrigeration

Our Goal: We aim to replace all refrigerants with a Global Warming Potential (GWP) of more than 2,200 with an alternative refrigerant with a lower GWP by 2025.

Filter:

ALDI SOUTH Group	2019	2020	2021
Stores with medium-temperature refrigeration systems (coolers/chillers) using a refrigerant with a GWP < 2,200	87%	87%	91%

Supply chain emissions

Our Goal: We are committed to encouraging our strategic suppliers, which are responsible for 75% of product related emissions, to work towards setting science-based emissions targets by the end of 2024.

Carbon emission distribution

Carbon emissions resulting from our corporate value chain are also referred to as Scope 3 emissions. Overall, about 99% of our total GHG emissions are attributable to our corporate value chain emissions. Most of our emissions come from the purchasing of products from our suppliers (82%). For product emissions, the entire upstream supply chain, from land use change and farming to processing and finishing of the product must be considered. As these emissions are technically out of our control, it is particularly hard to influence their reduction. Nevertheless, we have set a supplier engagement target and have continued to work with our suppliers to encourage emission reduction within their own supply chains.

Filter:

Carbon emission distribution	2022
Scope 1	0.55%
Scope 2	0.12%
Scope 3	99.33%

Supplier engagement target

Since 2021, we have been conducting annual supplier surveys on their climate commitment to monitor our suppliers’ progress to set climate targets, and identify which suppliers need support in joining our climate protection journey. The results of 2022 show that strategic suppliers, who are responsible for 22% of our product-related emissions, either have a target in line with the criteria of the Science Based Targets initiative or are committed to set themselves science-based targets within the next two years.

Filter: