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Action on Climate Change

Action on climate change – reducing our direct emissions

We believe that urgent and holistic action is required to tackle climate change.

Since October 2017 we have been purchasing 100% renewable electricity for our company owned shops and kitchens resulting in our carbon footprint shrinking by over one third. But we recognise we need to do more and are committed to act in line with the 2017 Paris Agreement’s stretch goal of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

This is why, we have set ourselves the target of being Net Zero Carbon in our direct operations by 2030 and working with the Carbon Trust, we have set ourselves a Science Based carbon reduction target that, if we achieve, will ensure we are doing at least our fair share. Our Science Based Target for our direct operations (Scope 1 and 2 emissions) is:

Reduce absolute greenhouse gas emissions 29% by 2025 from a 2017 baseline

This means that even as we grow as a business, we will be looking to reduce our emissions focusing on improving energy efficiency and exploring alternatives to the use of natural gas in our kitchens and diesel in our fleet.

Why we’ve stopped buying carbon offsets

Carbon offsetting can be valuable in mitigating climate impacts, but we’re concentrating our resources on directly reducing our own carbon footprint. We believe prioritising meaningful decarbonisation efforts within our own operations and supply chain is the most effective way forward, especially given the finite resources we have to invest. It also helps us provide clearer messaging about our progress, avoiding potential misunderstandings around claims of carbon neutrality often tied to offset purchases.

Reducing our broader carbon footprint

We recognise that as a food company a significant proportion of the carbon footprint of our food will be associated with growing the ingredients we cook with and our customers cooking our food in their homes. We have started work to better understand the environmental impacts our food has from farm to fork and are looking to collaborate with farmers, suppliers, and customers on the best way to reduce this impact.