Climate Action

Greenhouse gas emissions in t CO₂ (CO₂ equivalents)Climate Action

Definition: Level of all main emissions by Scope in line with the methodology of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol.

The following sources of emissions are included:

• Scope 1 = fuel oil, natural gas, liquefied natural gas (LNG), liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), refrigerant losses from commercial cooling, refrigerant losses from air-conditioning, fuel consumption of company cars and the group’s own logistics fleet, emergency power generators
• Scope 2 = electricity consumption, district heating and cooling
• Scope 3 = external logistics for the transport of goods to our stores and warehouses, in-house paper consumption for advertising and office purposes, business trips, goods and services purchased for own use, capital assets, upstream chain emissions and grid losses for all direct and indirect energy sources, waste, employee commutes, leased assets

Explanation about the Carbon Footprint, especially about methodology, reporting boundaries and climate protection target are available at https://responsibility.metroag.de/focus-areas/climate-action.

Status of climate protection target Climate Action

Greenhouse gas emissions in kg CO₂ (CO₂ equivalents) per m² selling and delivery space

METRO

Scope 1 & 2
Scope 3
Total

Germany

Total

Definition: Greenhouse gas emissions from METRO’s stores, back offices and warehouses (by selling space and space used for delivery operations) included within the climate protection target. Included are the emissions from electricity, heating and cooling energy consumption, also counting upstream chains and grid losses, refrigerant emissions from commercial cooling and air-conditioning, fuel consumption by company cars, in-house paper consumption for advertising material and office purposes as well as business trips.

Status: Compared to the base year 2011 the Scope 1 and Scope 2 CO₂ emissions relevant in the Science Based Target have been reduced by 34.1% per m² selling and delivery space.

Explanation: We aim to be climate-neutral by 2040 mainly through own investments. In the base year 2011 specific greenhouse gas emissions were 376 kg of CO₂ equivalents per square metres of selling and delivery space .

The significant decline in emissions compared with the reference year 2011 can essentially be attributed to 2 factors:

• Measures to reduce consumption relating to energy, company cars, paper and business travel, and to reduce emissions caused by refrigerant loss, as well as investments in green electricity
• General technical and scientific developments as reflected by the adjustment of the emission factors used to calculate CO₂ equivalents. Above all in electricity generation, the emissions factor in many countries is declining due to the increased share of renewable energies.

In financial year 2018/19, METRO expanded the climate target to the supply chain and as the first German retailer set a recognised Science Based Target for itself. METRO AG undertakes to reduce its Scope-1- and Scope-2-CO₂ emissions by 60% per square metre sales and delivery area by 2030 compared to 2011. Our Scope 1 and Scope 2 targets are consistent with the reductions required to keep global warming well below 2°C by 2100 compared to pre-industrial levels. In addition, METRO AG is committed to reducing absolute Scope-3-CO₂ emissions (supply chain) by 15% by 2030 compared to 2018.

Trends in the emission sources included in
the climate protection target Climate Action

Greenhouse gas emissions in kg CO₂ (CO₂ equivalents) per m² selling and delivery space

Definition: Trends in CO₂ emissions per square metre from all the emission sources included in the climate protection target compared to the reference year 2011.

Energy consumption KPIs Affordable and Clean EnergyClimate Action

Electricity, heating and cooling energy consumption 
(in kWh per m² of selling and delivery space)

METRO

Germany

Heating Electricity Cooling

Definition: Locations’ energy consumption in relation to the space used for sales and delivery operations. Energy consumption consists of electricity consumption and heating and cooling energy consumption (fuel oil, natural gas, liquefied natural gas (LNG), liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), emergency power generators and district heating/cooling).

Target: At our METRO Wholesale sales line, we defined a target to reduce energy consumption by 2030 by 35% with a base year 2011. In financial year 2020/21, we reduced electricity consumption in our METRO stores by 7.8% in comparison to financial year 2018/19 and thus clearly exceeded our target of 5.4%. Effects of Covid-19 could only be observed locally and with small deviations. We cannot quantify the exact impact of the pandemic on our energy consumption performance.

Installed kW Peak

Installed on-site photovoltaic (PV) capacity

Definition: METRO has started in 2008 to install photovoltaic (PV) systems on the roofs of its stores. The size of PV systems is indicated in kilowatt peak (kWp). The capacity indicates how much energy is generated under standard test conditions. METRO reports the cumulated installation of photovoltaic systems on its stores in kWp, it does not matter if the stores or photovoltaic systems are owned by METRO. As long as METRO is using the solar energy from the PV systems for its store operations and the PV systems are located on METRO roofs, those PV systems are reported. Until now, METRO has installed 56 PV systems in 11 countries amounting to an installed capacity of 21,295 kWp.

14 new systems with a total capacity of circa 3,000 kWp were installed in the current FY21 in France, India, Italy, Pakistan, Hungary and Spain.

Target: We aim to reach 50,000kWp until 2030.

Total energy consumption (in MWh)

Definition: Energy consumption for operating the locations and for transportation broken down into the different types of energy used. Fuel includes fuel oil, combustion fuel, natural gas and liquefied natural gas.
The renewable energy figure includes Guarantees of origin (GoO) as well as green electricity contracts with GoOs such and renewable Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) with GoOs. METRO is purchasing GoOs in combination with green electricity contracts in countries such as Italy, Portugal or Austria. Additionally we closed PPAs in France in 2021 and in India already in 2014 with off-site solar and wind farms. METRO is using the solar energy from the PV systems for its store operations; the PV systems are installed on METRO store roofs, the energy of those PV systems are reported under self-generated renewable PV energy.

Water Clean Water and SanitationLife below Water

Water withdrawal and wastewater generated 
(in l per m² of selling and delivery space)

METRO

Germany

Definition: Water withdrawal by the locations in relation to the space used for sales and delivery operations.

Explanation: In absolute terms, METRO drew 3.7 million m³ of fresh water in the reporting period. At the warehouses, stores and back offices, water is primarily used for cleaning and sanitary facilities. In addition to this, water may be used for storing, transporting and selling food, for example for keeping live fish or making ice to chill fresh fish.

On group level, we measure and monitor the amount of water which the company draws from the public drinking water supply. The public drinking water supply is the only source from which we draw significant amounts of water.

We also measure and monitor the total amount of wastewater we generate at the group level. As our locations do not consume a significant amount of water, our calculations are based on the assumption that the volume of wastewater is the same as the amount of fresh water. All wastewater is fed into public sewers. We do not monitor the quality of the wastewater ourselves as this is not relevant given the usage described above.

Target: At METRO Wholesale the goal was set to save 5% of water by 2025 compared to the base year 2016/17. In 2021, we were able to reduce the consumption in our stores of METRO Wholesale by 2% calculated per square metre of net operating area compared to the previous year.

Waste Responsible Consumption and Production Climate ActionLife on Land

Amount of waste and recycling rate 
(in kg per m² of selling and delivery space and in %)

METRO

Germany

Amount of waste Recycling rate

Definition: Waste generated in relation to the space used for sales and delivery operations. The recycling rate is calculated as the amount of waste destined for recycling, energy recovery and composting in relation to the amount of total waste.

Explanation: The volume of waste in absolute terms, 218,579 t, marks a reduction from the previous year. This can be broken down as follows:

• Waste for composting (9,246 t)
• Waste for energy recovery (11,035 t)
• Waste for landfill (43,273 t)
• Waste for recycling (118,169 t)
• Waste for special waste treatment, such as hazardous waste (11,338 t)
• Waste for unknown disposal (4,549 t)

When we calculate the recycling rate, we do not take hazardous waste into account because we cannot systematically record the way in which it is treated (recycled or disposed of) in all of the countries in which we operate. However, based on information from several countries, most of the hazardous waste is also recycled. In reality, the recycling rate is therefore higher.