FROM smallbusiness.uk.reuters.com:
RAMSEY, England, Feb 3 (Reuters) – Tesco, the world’s No.4 retailer, plans to spend over 100 million pounds ($159 million) with British green technology companies over the coming year as it steps up its drive to halve carbon emissions by 2020.

Chief Executive Terry Leahy also told Reuters at the opening of the world’s first zero-carbon store in Ramsey, eastern England, that business could play a key role in the fight against climate change at a time when politicians are struggling to agree.

“It would have been better if there had been clear binding targets (set by governments) against which all businesses could set their own targets,” he said, in an interview held under the wooden beams and LED lighting of the Ramsey store.

“We haven’t got that yet, but it doesn’t negate the need for businesses to set their own targets because it’s for good commercial and societal reasons,” he said.

“In the political vacuum it’s particularly useful for businesses to take the lead because it’s an encouragement to consumers, it’s an encouragement to other business … and it’s an encouragement to politicians.”

Tesco, Britain’s biggest retailer, said its investment in areas such as CO2 refrigeration, combined heat and power plants and electric car charging points would safeguard and create thousands of British jobs.

ECO FRIENDLY

Leahy said carbon emissions at all new stores in the group’s 2010-11 financial year would be between 50 and 70 percent lower than at older stores.

Subject to the technology proving itself at Ramsey, future new stores would all be zero carbon — that is, the amount of energy from the national grid will be less than or equal to the amount put back through low carbon and renewable technologies.

Leahy said eco-friendly technologies would also be rolled out to the group’s existing base of over 4,300 stores in Britain and abroad, and rejected suggestions that, with a target to be carbon neutral by 2050, it was moving too slowly.

“We start as a very carbon intensive business and to remove that entirely by 2050 is a lot of change.

“I don’t think any retailer in the world has set more ambitious targets than Tesco,” he said, noting the group was also working with suppliers to reduce carbon emissions in its supply chain by 30 percent by 2020.

Leahy said the Ramsey store cost around 30 percent, or about 1.5 million pounds, more than a traditional Tesco store, but that with a 45 percent reduction in energy the extra investment would pay back over around 10 to 15 years.

He also said British consumers had come out of recession and predicted “slow and steady growth” in UK retail sales this year.

RAMSEY, England, Feb 3 (Reuters) – Tesco, the world’s No.4 retailer, plans to spend over 100 million pounds ($159 million) with British green technology companies over the coming year as it steps up its drive to halve carbon emissions by 2020.

Chief Executive Terry Leahy also told Reuters at the opening of the world’s first zero-carbon store in Ramsey, eastern England, that business could play a key role in the fight against climate change at a time when politicians are struggling to agree.

“It would have been better if there had been clear binding targets (set by governments) against which all businesses could set their own targets,” he said, in an interview held under the wooden beams and LED lighting of the Ramsey store.

“We haven’t got that yet, but it doesn’t negate the need for businesses to set their own targets because it’s for good commercial and societal reasons,” he said.

“In the political vacuum it’s particularly useful for businesses to take the lead because it’s an encouragement to consumers, it’s an encouragement to other business … and it’s an encouragement to politicians.”

Tesco, Britain’s biggest retailer, said its investment in areas such as CO2 refrigeration, combined heat and power plants and electric car charging points would safeguard and create thousands of British jobs.

ECO FRIENDLY

Leahy said carbon emissions at all new stores in the group’s 2010-11 financial year would be between 50 and 70 percent lower than at older stores.

Subject to the technology proving itself at Ramsey, future new stores would all be zero carbon — that is, the amount of energy from the national grid will be less than or equal to the amount put back through low carbon and renewable technologies.

Leahy said eco-friendly technologies would also be rolled out to the group’s existing base of over 4,300 stores in Britain and abroad, and rejected suggestions that, with a target to be carbon neutral by 2050, it was moving too slowly.

“We start as a very carbon intensive business and to remove that entirely by 2050 is a lot of change.

“I don’t think any retailer in the world has set more ambitious targets than Tesco,” he said, noting the group was also working with suppliers to reduce carbon emissions in its supply chain by 30 percent by 2020.

Leahy said the Ramsey store cost around 30 percent, or about 1.5 million pounds, more than a traditional Tesco store, but that with a 45 percent reduction in energy the extra investment would pay back over around 10 to 15 years.

He also said British consumers had come out of recession and predicted “slow and steady growth” in UK retail sales this year.