Design

Tesco, Marks & Spencer and Asda have made a commitment to reduce their energy consumption and source renewable energy by 2020.

They are joined by 11 other members of the European Retail Round Table (ERRT), including the Metro Group in Germany, El Corte Inglés in Spain and the French Carrefour Group, and will detail their progess in their annual corporate social responsibility (CSR) reports.

ERRT director Paul Skehan told Packaging News that packaging initiatives would be included in the organisation's response to the European Commission's plan for sustainable production and consumption, which will be published in May.

All members have agreed to investigate how to raise consumer awareness of energy issues by either labelling the products they sell, or by putting energy efficiency details on their websites.

They will also seek support from the European Union to identify tax incentives to drive consumer behaviour and to ensure the supply of "green" goods throughout Europe.

The retailers pledged yesterday (10 March) to cut energy use in their stores by a minimum of 20% by 2020.

They will also work towards exceeding the European Commission's target of sourcing 20% renewable energy by 2020.

Brussels-based ERRT said some members would "go further" and publish their own targets and establish milestones against which they would measure their own performances.

Tesco and Marks & Spencer have already said that they will reduce energy use and maximise the use of renewables by opening "green" stores, installing wind turbines and introducing more energy efficient freight transport.

The ERRT is a network of business leaders set up to express the views of large retailers on a range of issues. They employ more than one million people worldwide and their combined turnover is more than €300bn.

The ERRT's president is Tesco chief executive Sir Terry Leahy.