Supermarket chain Lidl is set to open a new kind of store for the first time in Finland next year.
It’s the latest Finnish retailer to tailor their business plans to take environmental impact and climate change into account on a large scale.
Lidl will build the store in Vantaa’s Vapala neighbourhood to meet Building Environmental Assessment Method BEAM certification standards in the design, construction and operating phases.
“We are considering eco-friendliness in a new way. For example, the materials for the building are domestic and certified wood. And to minimize waste, we recycle at least 60% of them” says Toni Koskinen at Lidl Suomi.
The company also plans to plant a wildflower meadow with native Finnish trees and shrubs, and a solar plant on top of the building will generate renewable energy. There will be bird boxes too, to encourage more wildlife to come to the store.
“All our stores are already operated by renewable produced energy. We are also investing in own renewable energy production and about to equip all our new stores with solar
power stations” says Koskinen.
“When it comes to responsibility, it’s necessary to set targets and ambition high […] the certification process gives us a clear framework on how we can take environmental considerations into account” he adds.
Other Finnish retailers more environmentally-conscious
Lidl has a target to become completely carbon neutral in its operations by 2025, but it’s not the only Finnish retailer with a more environmental-outlook in their operations.
S-Group have announced a plan to cut their emissions by 60% by 2030; while K-Group says it will follow the Science-based Target initiative and committed to lower their supply chain emissions by 90% by 2025.
Supermarket chains are using a variety of methods to meet their target goals, such as putting more effort on renewable energy, cutting energy total consumption and reducing food waste.
