Aldi has reached a “significant milestone”, having gained approval of its emissions reduction goals from the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).

The discount grocer joins the likes of Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Asda, Waitrose, M&S, and Co-op in setting targets validated by the global climate body.

Aldi South Group – of which Aldi UK is part of – has committed to near-term targets including reducing Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 52% by 2030 from a 2021 base year and reducing Scope 3 emissions 25% from a 2022 base year.

Long-term net-zero targets include reducing absolute Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 2035 from a 2021 base year and reducing Scope 3 GHG emissions 90% by 2050 from a 2022 base year.

Subscribe to Grocery Gazette for free

Sign up here to get the latest grocery and food news each morning

The group said that the commitments make it one of the first international food retailers to have science-based targets to reach net-zero GHG emissions across the value chain by 2050 validated by the SBTi.

Aldi South plans to meet these commitments by implementing decarbonisation and emission reduction initiatives, targeting the major sources of Scope 1 and 2 emissions from its store and logistics operations.

It will increase its efforts to reduce Scope 3 emissions by partnering with suppliers on their on-farm practices and addressing its upstream transportation decarbonisation opportunities.

Aldi UK national sustainability director Liz Fox told The Grocer: “We are always looking for new ways to minimise our carbon footprint and these revised targets show just how seriously we take our commitment to operating sustainably here in the UK and internationally.

“We are putting sustainability at the heart of everything we do. It matters to us, and we know it matters to our customers.”

She added: “We know that our scale, internationally, means we can deliver significant change. We have made strong progress in addressing our operational greenhouse gas emissions over recent years, but we want to build on these foundations, working right along the supply chain to make a real difference.”