Tesco boss says UK lawmakers must stick to their net zero emissions pledges

LONDON, Sept 6 (Reuters) – The head of Britain’s biggest retailer, Tesco, (TSCO.L) On Wednesday he called on the country’s political parties, ahead of general elections scheduled for 2024, to meet their net-zero commitments and give companies more confidence to invest.

Speaking at the Reuters IMPACT conference in London, Tesco chief executive Ken Murphy said green innovation in the food industry could help reduce costs and carbon emissions while boosting global food safety. United Kingdom.

“This is why it is critical that political parties meet their net-zero emissions commitments and deadlines, and put food system innovation at the center of the growth agenda,” he said.

Murphy warned that investment levels in the UK remain well below the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) average and said government and industry must work together to enable innovation on a large scale.

“It is good that the government has funds available for innovation, such as the agricultural innovation fund, but… we are behind our competitors in Europe and Asia, not to mention the United States.”

The British Conservative government has committed to achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

However, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has indicated that his government could delay or even scrap some green policies that impose direct costs on consumers.

Tesco, which has a 27% share of Britain’s grocery market, has a plan for its operations to reach a net zero carbon target by 2035 by using renewable energy, reducing plastic and encouraging healthier diets. sustainable.

It pledges net zero carbon emissions by 2050 across all of its operations, as well as those generated by the products it sells and its supply chains.

Many environmental activists are skeptical about the willingness of big business to cut emissions, seeing it more as a public relations exercise. But big companies say they can make a difference because of their sheer size.

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