Morrisons has announced a commitment to hit net zero carbon emissions across its operations by 2035.
The Big 4 grocer will reportedly become the first supermarket to possess and operate its own solar farm throughout its entire network of sites and stores.
The timeline places the retailer five years ahead of its previous target of 2040 and 15 years ahead of the UK government’s 2050 net zero deadline.
Its “solar farm” is set to span almost 125 acres by 2025 with 230,000 panels.
READ MORE: Morrisons exits stock market ahead of £7bn takeover
The network will produce over 100 megawatts of electricity, which is set to transfer directly to Morrisons rather than the national grid, and will supply approximately 20 per cent of the power to the locations on which it is installed.
It comes after the grocer’s commitments to reduce its scope three emissions by 30 per cent within the decade across its supply chain, and to cut down on carbon emissions by 33 per cent by 2025.
“The climate crisis is the greatest challenge of our generation – and the time is now,” Morrisons chief executive David Potts said.
“We’ve committed to removing carbon emissions, rather than setting a carbon neutral target that would depend heavily on offsetting.
“We’re also investing resources to bring forward our net zero commitment by five years.”
Carbon Trust managing director Hugh Jones added: “Morrisons is ensuring it builds resilience firmly into its business model and will be positioned to thrive as the global economy moves to zero emissions.”
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