Climate + Carbon

Greenhouse gas emissions in t CO2 (CO2 equivalents)

in t CO2 (CO2 equivalents)

Reference year 2011

2019/20

2020/21

2021/22

Scope 1 – direct greenhouse gas emissions

518,177

486,035

470,609

451,140

Scope 2 – indirect greenhouse gas emissions

920,960

665,787

639,904

636,016

Scope 3 – other indirect greenhouse gas emissions

3,665,650

2,159,388

2,807,555

2,691,563

Total greenhouse gas emissions

5,104,788

3,311,210

3,918,068

3,778,718

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

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

METRO

Greenhouse gas emissions in kg CO2 (CO2 equivalents) per m2 selling and delivery space – METRO (stacked bar)
Scope 1+2 Scope 3 Total

Germany1

Greenhouse gas emissions in kg CO2 (CO2 equivalents) per m2 selling and delivery space – Germany (single bar)
Total

1 The information on “Germany” here includes METRO Cash & Carry Deutschland and Rungis Express.

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

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

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

Reference year 2011

2021/22

Change in %

Paper consumption

14

3

−76%

Fleet of own vehicles logistics

7

9

22%

Company cars

12

10

−19%

Business travel

6

0

−95%

Electricity consumption

243

148

−39%

Thermal energy consumption

33

28

−16%

Refrigerant losses

66

44

−33%

Total

382

242

−37%

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

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

METRO

Electricity, heating and cooling energy consumption – METRO (stacked bar)

Germany1

Electricity, heating and cooling energy consumption – Germany (stacked bar)
Heating Electricity Cooling

1 The information on “Germany” here includes METRO Cash & Carry Deutschland and Rungis Express.

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

Installed on-site photovoltaic (PV) capacity

Installed kW Peak – METRO

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)

in MWh

2019/20

2020/21

2021/22

Fuel (heating oil, gas, petrol, diesel, LPG, LNG)

503,885

531,944

506,308

Electricity

1,503,095

1,467,324

1,452,229

of which electricity (grid mix)

1,424,832

1,361,379

1,335,527

of which renewable electricity (GoOs certified)

64,105

87,915

92,310

of which self-generated renewable PV energy

14,158

18,030

24,392

District heating

64,207

64,622

67,647

District cooling

1,299

4,157

3,886

Total energy consumption

2,072,486

2,068,047

2,030,070

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

Water withdrawal and wastewater generated

in l per m2 of selling and delivery space

Reference year 2020/21

2021/22

Change in %

Water reduction target 2030 (Target year)

METRO

693

685

−1.1%

10.0%

Germany1

275

280

1.7%

4.4%

1

The information on "Germany" here includes METRO Cash & Carry Deutschland and Rungis Express.

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

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

METRO

Amount of waste and recycling rate – METRO (bar & pie)

Germany1

Amount of waste and recycling rate – Germany (bar & pie)
Amount of solid waste Recycling rate

1 The information on “Germany” here includes METRO Cash & Carry Deutschland and Rungis Express.

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".