We started thinking about carbon back in 2010 and, by 2015, had reduced the carbon intensity of our business by around a quarter. Since then, we’ve held the Carbon Trust Standard in recognition of our ongoing efforts to reduce carbon from our own operations.

Electricity use makes up around 60% of our footprint, so reducing its impact was a priority. We now only purchase green electricity from the grid and, where we rent our properties, are in discussions with the building owners to switch their electricity supplier to a carbon neutral source too.

Gas is more challenging as green gas is less widely available but – given it represents 10% of our direct footprint – we are determined to either stop using it or switch to biogas. For instance, as we refit shops, we’re switching over to electric systems for heating and water. Our goal is to be using 100% renewable energy across our operations by 2025.

Around a quarter of our direct carbon footprint is caused by our delivery and vehicle fleet. We aim to move to a net zero fleet by 2035 and, in the meantime, are making our logistics as efficient as possible, by training our drivers to use fuel efficiently and looking for ways to do things differently – for instance, we have started using double-decker trailers for transporting goods from our Balliol factory, meaning we can move 70% more with every journey.

The final 7% of our direct footprint is caused by the refrigerants we use in our refrigeration plants and to cool our shops and sites. We are working with our refrigeration suppliers to explore how we can replace high GHG refrigeration gases, and, when we need to replace old freezers, are swapping them for a new model which is significantly more carbon efficient.

During 2022, our Net Zero Taskforce worked with the Carbon Trust to set near-term science-based emissions reductions targets. These have been approved by the Science Based Target initiative (SBTi), and they contribute to the goals of the Paris Agreement – limiting global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.

These targets are:

• To reduce absolute Scope 1 and 2 Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions by 46.2% by 2030 from a 2019 base year; and

• To reduce absolute Scope 3 GHG emissions from purchased goods and services by 46.2% within the same timeframe.

We now have a clearly defined pathway to our net zero goal. The UK government is aiming for the country to be net zero by 2050 but we plan to be there by 2040 for both direct and indirect emissions.

We have created a template shop design with sustainability at its heart. The shop will act as a test bed for things like recyclable flooring, cistern-less and air assisted toilets, eco-ovens, heat pump air curtains and solar control glass. All of the initiatives are focused on waste management, water reduction or overall energy reduction.

The first Greggs Eco-Shop opened in 2022, built using our new template. We have set up metering on every piece of technology so we can collect data on how well each item performs. Those that do well will then be added to our standard new build and refit templates. In this way, tried and tested eco technologies will steadily be added across all our shops. We are aiming to apply what we’ve learned to at least a quarter of our estate by 2025.

Unnecessary single-use plastics were the first to go: we either stopped using them (for instance, using tongs to pick products up, rather than a clear plastic ‘lifting sheet’) or we replaced them with a more sustainable alternative (like the paper bags that replaced our old plastic carrier bags). We then went after other forms of unnecessary packaging.

We’re are also using better materials: packaging which has a lower impact on our environment. For instance, all the paper or cardboard we use for our own brand packaging comes from sustainable sources (as certified by PEFC or FSC).

We have committed to make sure that all the plastic packaging we use for our own-brand products contains 50% recycled content by 2025. We have already achieved that for our own-brand drinks bottles and are now working on our salad and fruits pots and exploring the best approach for our bread bags and shrink wrap.

We work with Biffa, our main waste contractor, who help us to better understand the UK’s recycling infrastructure so we can do our bit to increase recycling rates by making packaging that is easier to collect and sort.