Sainsbury’s opens its 100th CO₂-equipped store

In 2009, the UK-based supermarket chain Sainsbury’s committed to converting all stores to natural refrigeration by 2030 and set its first milestone of 135 locations by 2014. This year, the retailer has already opened its 100^th CO₂ equipped store in Ely, Cambridgeshire. In 2011 Sainsbury’s increased it’s original target for 2014 for stores with CO₂ refrigeration to 250 supermarkets.

CO₂ refrigeration: a standard in new stores

Sainsbury’s began converting its supermarkets in Spring 2010 with seven stores, covering new build,, extensions and refurbishments in existing stores. By summer 2010 the retailer was installing CO₂ refrigeration units in all its new stores as the standard.

Sainsbury’s plans to have refrigeration systems converted to natural refrigerants in all stores by 2030 which when complete will contribute to a reduction of the company’s carbon footprint by around a third.

Training – key to success

As part of the conversion programme, Sainsbury’s has retrained around 200 refrigeration service engineers in the field of CO₂ refrigeration.

"When we began converting to CO₂, there was a severe shortage of expertise in the engineering community. However, the work we have carried out with our refrigeration suppliers to retrain engineers and grow the market for CO₂ refrigeration has been so successful that we are now able to convert our estate much more quickly”, said David Sheehan, Sainsbury's Director of Store Development.

Sainsbury’s 20 by 20 Sustainability Plan

Refrigeration is a key contributor to Sainsbury’s carbon footprint and is a core part of the programme to achieve the stretching target to reduce operational carbon emissions by 30% ABSOLUTE and 65% relative with 2005. This is part of a broader target of an ABSOLUTE carbon reduction target of 50% by 2030.

This target is part of Sainsbury’s 20 by 20 Sustainability Plan which sets out 20 sustainability targets to be achieved by 2020. This £1billion plan aims to ensure the company remains at the forefront of sustainability between now and 2020.

"As we continue to invest, we make the market for this technology more accessible to others. In this way, we hope that other companies will follow our lead and recognise the benefits brought about by CO₂”, Mr. Sheehan added. The retailer estimates that if all UK stores converted their refrigeration units to R744, the UK could save 2 million tonnes of greenhouse gases.