Sainsburys leads the way for UK retailers.

Sainsburys saves energy while expanding.

Leading UK supermarket chain, Sainsburys, has tackled the problem of commercial expansion without adding to their carbon footprint. The Durham store will open on Monday with 50% more space, but due to the introduction of energy efficient measures and renewable technologies, the energy required to run the store will actually fall by 10%.

A report, carried out by research company, Mintel, shows that, despite the environmental policies in place, most leading retailers in the UK increase their absolute carbon footprint due to commercial expansion.

However, Sainsburys has found a way to combat this by using a biomass boiler, which burns wood pellets that would have otherwise gone to a landfill site. In addition to this, the store will also employ CO2 refrigeration which will cut down the company’s carbon footprint by a third.

The move enjoyed the backing of the UK Green Building Council as it has addressed the problem of reducing the carbon footprint of existing buildings. In the report, published by Mintel in October of last year, it was suggested that the most affective way of introducing commercial expansion and reducing your carbon footprint, was through the use of renewable energy.