Climate + Carbon

Greenhouse gas emissions in t CO₂ (CO₂ equivalents)

SDG 13

Climate Action

Definition: Level of all main emissions by scope according to 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 and air-conditioning, fuel consumption of company cars and fleet of own vehicles for logistics, 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

SDG 13

Climate Action

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

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 are the emissions from:

• Scope 1: fuel oil, natural gas, liquefied natural gas (LNG), liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), refrigerant emissions from commercial cooling and air-conditioning as well as fuel consumption by company cars and emergency power generators. In the financial year 2021/22, we expanded Scope 1 and include emissions from the fleet of our own logistics vehicles (FoV).
• Scope 2: electricity, heating and cooling energy consumption
• Scope 3: in-house paper consumption for advertising material and office purposes, business trips and upstream chain emissions and grid losses for all direct and indirect energy sources

Status: Compared to the base year 2011 the Scope 1 and Scope 2 CO₂ emissions (also relevant in the Science Based Target) have been reduced by 33.5% per m² selling and delivery space.

Explanation: We aim to be climate-neutral by 2040 mainly through own investments. In reporting period 2021/22, we expanded our 2040 climate protection target to include emissions from our own logistics fleet (FoV). Due to this expansion, the methodology for determining the CO₂ equivalents per m² of selling and delivery space was adjusted and the key figures for the base year and the previous year's values were corrected accordingly.  

In the base year 2011 specific greenhouse gas emissions were 382 kg CO2/m2 of selling and delivery space. 
The significant decline in emissions to 242 kg CO₂/m² of selling and delivery space in the reporting period 2021/22 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 addition to its climate protection target, in financial year 2018/19, METRO expanded its climate efforts to the supply chain and as the first German retailer set a recognised Science Based Target (SBTi) for itself. As part of the SBTi, METRO 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. These SBTi 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, as part of SBTi, METRO  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

SDG 13

Climate Action

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

Definition: Trends in CO₂ emissions per m² selling and delivery space from all the emission sources included in the climate protection target compared to the reference year 2011.

Energy consumption KPIs

SDG 7

Affordable and Clean Energy

SDG 13

Climate Action

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

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: A part of the KPI presented here is the target for METRO stores not to increase electricity consumption by more than 0.4% in financial year 2020/21 compared to financial year 2021/22 due to effects from Covid-19 and METRO's growth strategy sCore. Electricity consumption in our METRO stores actually increased by 0.1% compared to the financial year 2020/21, which is lower overall than the 0.4% increase in consumption expected from Covid-19 and the sCore growth strategy.

Installed kW Peak

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 30 September 2022, METRO has installed 70 PV systems in 13 countries amounting to an installed capacity of 26,055 kWp.

14 new systems with a total capacity of 6,397 kWp were installed in the reporting year 2021/22 in France, Hungary, India, Netherlands 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 Portugal and 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

SDG 6

Clean Water and Sanitation

SDG 14

Life below Water

Water withdrawal and wastewater generated

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

Explanation: In absolute terms, METRO drew 3.6 million m³ of fresh water in the reporting period. METRO was thus able to reduce its absolute own consumption by 3.1% compared to the previous year. 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: METRO has already met its original target of saving 5% water by 2025 compared to the base year 2016/17. Therefore, METRO has set a new water savings target for the financial year 2021/22: By 2030, specific water consumption in own business operations is to be reduced by 10% per m² of net operating area, compared to the base year 2020/21. 

Solid waste

SDG 12

Responsible Consumption and Production

SDG 13

Climate Action

SDG 15

Life on Land

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

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

Explanation: In 2021/22, the volume of solid waste (excl. food waste) at METRO in absolute terms, 182,554.231 t, marks an increase by 9.1% from the previous year. This can be broken down as follows:

• Waste for composting (1,957.18 t)
• Waste for energy recovery (10,020.41 t)
• Waste for landfill (16,676.75 t)
• Waste for recycling (101,502.2 t)
• Waste for special waste treatment, such as hazardous waste (1,068.74 t)
• Waste for unknown disposal (515.09 t)
• Waste without selected disposal route (50,813.90 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.

Food waste reduction target 2025

Food waste reduction is an important topic within the ESG priority Climate and Carbon of METRO's ESG strategy as it has significant economic, environmental, and social impacts on top of significant operational impact for our business. It is estimated that 1/3 of food is wasted from farm to fork, while food waste is responsible for 8–10% of global GHG emissions¹. 957 million people experience hunger in the world according to the UN². METRO has committed itself to the Resolution on Food Waste by the Consumer Goods Forum (CGF) and set a target to eliminate 50% of wasted food in our own operations by the year 2025. We have now set the baseline for this target to fiscal year 2017/18. We are implementing the Food Loss and Waste Protocol standard to measure food waste in METRO’s own operations and report on our progress against our food waste reduction target.

We are tackling food waste holistically, with a 5-pillar strategy from farm to fork: (1) supplier engagement, (2) food waste reporting, (3) (technological) food waste solutions, (4) customer and partner engagement, and (5) stakeholder and industry engagement.

In 21 countries and service units we cooperate with food banks to donate surplus food to those in need. In 3 countries, we are working with TooGoodToGo to accomplish this goal. In financial year 2021/22, the dedicated collaboration has ‘saved’ more than 121,000 meals, which corresponds to a reduction of 303 tonnes of CO₂. Moreover, we are promoting the TGTG platform in 2 countries as a solution to help our customers save food in their operations.
Find out more on our fight against food waste on our website, as well as relevant key figures under "Climate and Carbon".