The Shoprite Group has increased the amount of renewable energy bought from landlords and other suppliers by 91%, almost doubling the amount used in its operations to 103 234MWh (FY 2022: 54 138 MWh) over the past year.
Sanjeev Raghubir, Shoprite Group’s CSI & Sustainability Manager, said, “That’s progress by any measure. The next step is wheeling: buying electricity from an IPP through the existing transmission network.”
However, a national wheeling framework will need to be established before this can be achieved.
He added, “Events like COP28 are absolutely crucial, but we – business, government, civil society, humankind in general – can’t and mustn’t wait for their decisions. This is especially true in the African context: despite contributing the least of any region to global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the continent is being affected disproportionately by climate change.”
“Naturally we’ll watch the negotiations at COP28 keenly, but we’ve set and are pursuing science-based targets to reduce our carbon emissions throughout our operations – in stores, distribution centres and transportation – with a sense of urgency,” he noted.
Energy consumption is a priority for the company, which is investing heavily in reducing its carbon footprint across all aspects of its operations.
“We have also reduced electricity consumption by 161 million kWh through our LED lamp replacement project, and our network of solar-panel installations now cover the equivalent of more than 26 soccer-fields,” Sanjeev explained.
The group’s solar photovoltaic (PV) facilities now generate enough clean energy to power nearly 4,800 homes for a year, and it is the only African company to have earned a place on the Carbon Disclosure Project’s Supplier Engagement Leaderboard, for taking action to measure and reduce climate risk within its supply chain in the 2022 financial year.
The retailer’s three-pronged approach includes:
- Reducing consumption;
- Expanding installed capacity of renewables; and
- Purchasing electricity in collaboration with independent power producers (IPPs).
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