Since 2020 ICA Gruppen has been offsetting carbon emissions from its own operations, i.e. stores, pharmacies, warehouses, offices and transport.
Carbon offsets can never replace the work being done to reduce emissions in the Group’s value chain: through activities in our own operations, by requiring our suppliers to adopt scientifically based climate targets, and through our ambition to reduce the climate impact of the food we sell. However, they supplement those efforts and help to accelerate climate action at the global level.
Carbon offset projects that ICA Gruppen supports are carefully selected in cooperation with South Pole and Climate Partner to ensure that they are contributing to sustainable development and climate benefits. All projects are third-party certified to at least one independent standard. Important criteria when selecting projects have been additionality (i.e that they would not have happened without funding from a carbon offset programme), confidence that the expected climate benefits will be achieved, and assurance that the projects include local communities and make a positive contribution to other aspects of sustainable development.
We have chosen to carbon offset in countries that are part of our supply chain; Peru, China, India and Turkey. The projects contribute to climate work in different ways. Through the expansion of geothermal energy, fossil energy is replaced by renewable, by preserving and planting forests, carbon dioxide is sequestered from the atmosphere, and by utilizing biomass and creating biogas from waste, renewable energy is generated.
Certification: VCS (Verified Carbon Standard)
The Indian electricity grid is largely supplied by power plants running on fossil fuels with a large climate impact. In the Kutch district of the state of Gujarat, a project is being run to replace fossil energy with renewable wind energy. The project comprises 136 wind turbines, with a total production capacity of more than 300 Megawatts.
Certification: Gold Standard
In China, increased consumption has led to more and more waste, which is often left in open dumps. Waste that is left in open dumps gives rise to large emissions of the greenhouse gas methane. In this project in Xingning District of Nanning City, the gas is captured and converted into energy. In this way, methane emissions are prevented while the energy produced can replace fossil energy.
Certification: VCS (Verified Carbon Standard)
Certification: VCS (Verified Carbon Standard)
In Nongyai, Thailand, biogas is captured from several production plants – for starch, sweeteners and ethanol – and used to produce electricity and heat which is then used in production. Before the project started, biomass and coal were used.
Certification: VCS (Verified Carbon Standard)
