John Lewis targets zero carbon emissions by 2050

The department store chain today set out a timetable for achieving this goal and said it will look to “decarbonise its operations as much as possible as quickly as possible” within the next 10 years to meet guidelines set by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to limit global warming to 1.5°C.

John Lewis said by 2028 it will have removed a third of carbon from its operations through “significant investment in refrigeration technology, biomethane-powered trucks, electric vans and renewable electricity”, and would look to have a zero-carbon transport fleet by 2045.

It said it was aiming to reduce energy use across its physical store estate by a quarter by the same year.

It said by 2050 all John Lewis Partnership shops, head offices, distribution centres and other UK sites “will have a net zero carbon footprint at the latest”.

Benet Northcote, director of corporate responsibility, said: “We recognise that urgent action is needed to keep global warming below 1.5°C to avoid the most dangerous impacts of climate breakdown, and we are responding with our most ambitious set of targets yet, aiming to decarbonise as much as we can in the next 10 years and setting out a clear path to becoming a net zero operation.

“It’s of paramount importance to us as a co-owned business to ensure the partnership is prepared for the future. We are now only one generation away from 2050 and we are committed to playing our part in transitioning to a zero-carbon future.”