The Midcounties Co-operative has exceeded its sustainability commitments as it continues to make progress in reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and food waste.

Last year, the convenience retailer agreed sustainability linked finance targets with its banking partners, which include reducing direct GHG emissions by 40% by January 2026 compared to 2019, and reducing controllable food waste by 30% over the same timeframe.

The society’s phased target for the 2023/24 year was to lower direct GHG emissions by 25% and food waste by 20%, and it has exceeded both targets with a 32% reduction in GHG emissions compared to 2019 and a 21% reduction in controllable food waste compared to 2019.

The GHG emissions reduction was achieved through measures including helping colleagues to adopt more sustainable behaviours at work, investing in replacing refrigeration units in 50 stores and introducing LED lighting in 139 stores.

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At the same time, improvements in operational processes and a partnership with Too Good To Go, which allows customers and members to purchase “surprise bags” of discounted food that may otherwise have gone to waste, have reduced the number of food waste items across Midcounties Co-op’s stores by over 600,000 compared to 2019 levels.

The Midcounties Co-operative chief values officer Pete Westall said: “Working to build a fairer, more sustainable, and ethical future has always been at the heart of how our society operates, and we wanted to go further to embed this in every element of how we do business.

“That’s why agreeing sustainability-linked finance targets with our banking partners last year was so important and will help to ensure we continue to make progress in reducing waste and emissions.

“I want to thank all of our colleagues, members and customers who have helped us to deliver these achievements. But we also know that the hard work doesn’t stop here, and we remain laser-focused in making further progress and driving positive change across our business and in our communities.”