A Letter from Our President & CEO
Climate change is one of the most critical challenges of our time, both in Canada and around the world. And while it’s encouraging to see the conversation around this issue reach new heights in recent years, the time for talk is over. We are in a new phase of this challenge that we believe requires aggressive action.
As one of Canada’s leading grocery retailers, Empire is proud of its leadership position when it comes to sustainability in the industry. In fiscal 2021, we saw a 22% reduction in food waste in our stores, which is almost halfway to our target of achieving a 50% reduction in food waste by 2025. And since 2016, we’ve achieved a 24% reduction in surplus food per square foot in our stores. We also saved 5 million litres of water thanks to fresh herbs offered through our Infarm partnership. Additionally, over 95% of our Own Brands are sustainably sourced.
We are now more committed than ever to creating a sustainable business and industry through our Climate Action Plan which is grounded in science. This year, we set science-based targets (SBTs)that align and go beyond the Net-Zero by 2050 (1.5°C aligned) scenario, which would meet the requirements of the Paris Agreement. I would encourage you to take some time to read our Climate Action Plan to see what we have in store and how we are committing to making a difference today and in the future.
Specifically, our targets are:
In the short term:
- Scope 1 & 2 (absolute target): Reduce absolute Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions by a minimum of 55% by 2030 from a 2019 base year
- Scope 3 (supplier engagement-based target): 62% of our suppliers by spend will set science-based reduction targets on their Scope 1 and 2 emissions in five years; and commit to a minimum 28% reduction in emissions from fuel sold by 2030
In the long term:
Achieve net-zero by 2040 for Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions, and net-zero for Scope 3 emissions by 2050 according to the Science Based Targets initiative’s (SBTi’s) Net-Zero Standard.
