ICA’s new climate ambition: Cut customers’ climate impact in half and achieve at least neto zero impact by 2030

ICA will achieve its previously set climate target to be climate-neutral by 2020, based on existing plans for the year*. ICA is now taking the next step to achieve entirely on its own at least a neto zero impact by 2030 and thereby continue to have an ambitious and responsible climate ambition based on leading climate research and the Paris Agreement. A large share of the global climate impact comes from the production and consumption of food. ICA has previously included suppliers in its sustainability work and will now be intensifying this work by adopting the ambition to cut the climate impact of customers’ grocery purchases in half by 2030. 

Since 2006, ICA’s direct greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have decreased by 67%. ICA has mainly worked on reducing emissions from its operations by reducing energy consumption, investing in more sustainable and fossil-free transports, and investing in sustainable refrigerants.

“In view of our size and proximity to people we have a great responsibility, but also an opportunity to make a real difference,” comments Per Strömberg, CEO of ICA Gruppen. “We need to reduce our own climate impact, but also inspire more people to do the same – other actors as well as customers. To further reduce emissions by 2030, we are continuing our ambitious sustainability work in our own operations and together with our suppliers, but we are now even more clearly including our customers in our long-term climate ambition.”

ICA’s climate ambition will cover the period 2021-2030 and is broken down into three parts:

• ICA shall achieve at least a neto zero climate impact from own operations by 2030.

Continue reducing remaining GHG emissions, but also invest in creating plus items, such as through production of renewable energy.

• ICA will cut the climate impact of customers’ grocery purchases in half by 2030. 

Inspire and support customers by making shifts in the product range, reducing food waste and improving production methods for a lower environmental and climate impact.

• ICA’s suppliers will adopt science-based climate targets by 2025**. 

We take responsibility for the production of the products sold in our stores.

“We support a journey that has already been started and a desire from our customers to make it easier to choose products with a lower climate impact,” says Kerstin Lindvall, Chief Corporate Responsibility Officer at ICA Gruppen. “This puts demands on new production methods, but also on a shift in choice of products. Moreover, eating climate-smart is almost always healthy, which is also something that our customers hold near to  heart.”

Examples of how ICA Gruppen is working on reducing climate impact: 

• For some time ICA has already been working toward the express goal of cutting food waste in half by 2025 in its stores and logistics operations. In addition, ICA’s goods transports in Sweden are to be fossil-free by 2030 at the latest. All sales of single-use plastic items are to cease after 2020, and all packaging for ICA’s private label products are to be recyclable and be made of recycled or renewable material by 2030 at the latest. 

• Rimi Baltic is continuing its work on reducing food waste, investing in sustainable refrigerants and energy-efficient store equipment, and improving efficiency and developing transports for lower fuel consumption.

• Apotek Hjärtat has begun work on reviewing the climate impact of its range and how it can work to cut the climate impact of its range in half by 2030. 

• ICA Real Estate is working actively on reducing its climate impact by, among other things, implementing energy efficiency measures and contributing to opportunities for own energy production, such as solar panels and geothermal energy, but also in other parts of the value chain, such as choosing more climate-smart building materials. 

• ICA Bank will be working actively up to 2030 to reduce the climate impact via a product offering focusing on sustainable investments and through a greater focus on guiding customers and offering a greater array of funds with a sustainability focus.

For more information

ICA Gruppen press service, telephone number: +46 (0)10 422 52 52