The move will reduce the company’s carbon footprint by over 6,400 tonnes and will also generate enough energy to heat 15 M&S Simply Food stores all year round.
Biomethane gas is 50 percent more carbon efficient than conventional gas supplies and is generated by anaerobic digestion (AD) of farm waste. The biomethane will be produced by the Vulcan Anaerobic Digestion plant near Doncaster using break crops, non-commercial crops usually used for soil regeneration. These crops will come from farms across Yorkshire and the North East and the gas generated by the process will then be pumped into the national grid. M&S deal with Future Biogas will fund the process and the company will benefit from the carbon reduction through the certification scheme. It will also benefit farmers by providing significant revenues for break crops in a commercial market that has not previously been available.
“Over the past couple of years, M&S has worked tirelessly to improve its carbon efficiency and innovate in sustainability” said Gio Patellaro, M&S Head of Energy Supply & Risk. “As the first UK retailer to buy biomethane to use in this way, we are blazing a trail in the market place that we hope others will follow. With the help of Future Biogas, this deal takes us one step further in our commitment to ensure 50% of the energy used in M&S buildings comes from certified green biomethane sources by 2020.”
The adoption of M&S ‘Plan A’ programme saw the company supporting renewable energy generation, including contracting directly with generators under its award winning Price Guarantee Agreement structure. Plan A was launched in 2007 and is Marks & Spencer’s 100 commitment eco and ethical programme that tackles sustainable retail challenges. The plan has enabled M&S to avoid sending waste to landfill, become carbon neutral and win 190 industry awards. It is organised around four pillars – Inspiration, In Touch, Integrity and Innovation and the company’s goal is become one of the world’s most sustainable major retailers.
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