Experts have urged European supermarkets to transition towards plant-rich foods to cut emissions and lower costs.
European supermarkets could “make or break” the food system’s climate impact, but experts warn that few chains seem serious about cutting emissions.
Food and agriculture contribute one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions, second only to burning fossil fuels. In fact, a 2023 study published in science journal Nature found that greenhouse gas emissions from the way humans produce and consume food could add almost 1℃ of warming to the Earth’s atmosphere by the year 2100.
“Supermarkets have the power to shape a healthier and climate-friendly food system,” says Charlotte Lineebank, director of thinktank Questionmark. “Despite a few frontrunners, the sector is far from using its full leverage.”
How can supermarkets become more climate-friendly?
Questionmark, in collaboration with WWF, ProVeg International and Madre Brava, has compared 27 supermarkets across Europe. This includes six EU member states (France, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden) as well as Switzerland and the UK.
Researchers created a ‘superlist’ using two key assessments: how supermarkets’ climate plans aligned with the Paris Agreement – which aims to limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C above preindustrial levels – and their efforts to shift protein sales towards plant-rich diets.
The more transparent a supermarket is and the more targets it sets, the higher it scores on the indicators. For example, a supermarket may score high on the Climate Plan indicator if it has ambitious emission reduction targets.
Similarly, it may score high on the Protein Transition indicator if it reports the share of animal- versus plant-based products in its total sales volume.
Meat, particularly beef and lamb, is often identified by scientists as one of the biggest culprits of environmental damage. According to CO2 Everything, a 100g serving of beef is equivalent to 78.7 km of driving, releasing 15.5 kg CO2 equivalent.
Europe’s best supermarket for sustainability
The report warned that emissions of many supermarkets are still rising, but the role in shifting to more plant-rich diets is recognised by two-thirds of chains.
Supermarkets in Germany and the Netherlands seem to be setting the pace in Europe’s transition toward sustainable food systems. Leaders such as Albert Heijn, Lidl (in four countries), Jumbo, REWE and Aldi Süd showed the strongest commitments to cutting emissions by rebalancing protein sales.
To date, only five supermarkets (ICA, Jumbo, Kaufland, Migros and REWE) have managed to cut emissions since they began reporting.
Lidl in the Netherlands came out victorious, followed by Lidl in Poland, and Albert Heijn in the Netherlands. E.Leclerc in France was ranked worst, followed by Coop in Sweden and Aldi Nord in Germany. Below are the full rankings:
- Lidl - Netherlands
- Lidl - Poland
- Albert Heijn - Netherlands
- Jumbo - Netherlands
- Lidl - Germany
- Lidl - Spain
- Ewe - Germany
- Aldi Süd - Germany
- Denner - Switzerland
- Migros - Switzerland
- Tesco - UK
- Carrefour - France
- Carrefour - Spain
- ICA - Sweden
- Kaufland - Germany
- Edeka - Germany
- Sainsbury’s - UK
- Coop Group - Switzerland
- Biedronka - Poland
- Intermarché - France
- Willys/ Hemkōp - Sweden
- Asda - UK
- Dino - Poland
- Mercadona - Spain
- Aldi Nord - Germany
- Coop - Sweden
- E.Leclerc - France
Supermarkets vs net zero
Dr Joanna Trewern of ProVeg International says the report shows that leading retailers are starting to recognise their role in enabling consumers to choose “healthy and sustainable plant-rich diets” – but warned that we are still a “long way” from retailers across Europe taking up the challenge.
“Without supermarket ambition and transparency on plant-rich diets, a vital piece of the roadmap towards mitigating the worst impacts of climate change is missing,” Dr Trewern adds.
“Given that animal-based foods account for 50 per cent of supermarket emissions on average, supermarkets will also be unable to achieve their own net zero goals.”
Nico Muzi of Madre Brava echoes the sentiment, arguing that supermarkets can play a positive role in meeting climate goals by selling more plant-based products.
“By looking after their customers’ health, they’re also looking after the planet and their own business interests, as more plants mean lower emissions and lower costs,” he adds.
