The big news this week is the reopening (ish) of the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) and the UK’s (not quite a) trade deal with the US. We have a story on that (plus more analysis in the pipeline on trade deals in the coming weeks).
Suffice to say, the UK Government has been managing fears – of hormone-pumped beef and the like – as it negotiates what Farmers Weekly described as a “trade dilemma” – with his “Brexit reset” the prime minister Sir Keir Starmer is also hoping to forge closer trade ties with the EU, and its strict food and farming standards.
But enough of the ‘big’ news, because something else caught our eye this week that needed a little air – the small print in one section of supermarket giant Tesco’s new sustainability report which led us (eventually) to discover that Tesco has cut its total emissions by … 0.1%.
A pie chart on page 10 of the document clearly shows the group’s total emissions as 73.1mtCO2e in 2024/25, but finding how this compares to the previous year let alone a base year proved tricky. That small print we mentioned reads: “Our total 2022/23 emissions within SBTi [Science-Based Targets initiative] scope were estimated at 58.9mtCO2e per year.” Does that mean emissions have risen 24% in two years (from 58.9mtCO2e to 73.1mtCO2e)?
No. That would certainly be a big story. Not to mention a big problem for Tesco with its net-zero commitment and near-term carbon reduction targets (that it’s way behind on, according to a report this month by Feedback Global and the Food Foundation). “The two figures that you are referencing are not comparable,” a spokesperson promptly emailed in reply. “The 58.9mtCO2e/year figure relates to what is in scope for our SBTi accreditation. The 73.12mtCO2e/year is our total emissions footprint.”
Ok. So how has Tesco done, then? “Our 2024 climate factsheet shows our total emissions footprint [as] 73.2mtCO2e/year. This should be compared to this year’s (2025) reported emissions in our sustainability report where we reported on 73.12mtC02e/year. This shows a reduction,” she added.
Indeed it does: of 0.1%. This isn’t a figure that can be found anywhere in the 61-page report published this week, mind. “We’ve reduced our Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) across the Group by 65%, exceeding our December 2025 target of 60%,” wrote group chief executive Ken Murphy in his foreword. That’s fine but scopes 1 and 2 account for just 1.11% of the chain’s total emissions, so in reality its efforts on climate are way, way off-track.
Tesco has SBTi targets to reduce scope 3 non-FLAG emissions by 55% by 2032 and FLAG emissions by 39% in the same timeframe (FLAG are the emissions from forest, land and agriculture that have every food corporate in a cold sweat). Scope 3 are not easy to measure, let alone reduce, and it’s worth noting the retailer has managed to collate more primary data from its milk, cheese, pig and fresh produce suppliers.
But when will it start to bend the curve on carbon? This isn’t clear from its report: “As scope 3 is so broad, it is important we address our impact in full, but focus on the areas that are most material and have the greatest potential for us to influence and accelerate emissions reduction.”
Indeed, we should not ignore the gap between Tesco’s SBTi total emissions and its actual total – some 14mtCO2e. Most of these are emissions from cooking the food purchased in its stores or customers driving to stores – which will be even harder to control and cut. None of this is easy but making the big facts hard to find doesn’t help.
“Scope 3 emissions make up the bulk of Tesco’s climate footprint,” said Maddy Haughton-Boakes from Changing Markets Foundation (CMF). “If the company really wants to show climate leadership it must report these transparently while committing to meaningful reduction targets.”
Elsewhere in Footprint news this week we cover the reopening of the SFI (as the area of organic land in England stagnates despite consumer demand). There is news of the pub group that has reduced the financial risks in rolling out renewable energy, plus the launch of a new initiative to support small, low impact fisheries.
- The Sustainable Farming Incentive is open again for some farmers. More.
- Marston’s deploys solar with reduced risk financing agreement. More.
- Community Catch launches new standard for sustainable small-scale fisheries. More
