I read with interest an article at the Independent Online about how supermarkets are now vying for the green-pound, and how Asda, for the first time, is selling local kale in Cornwall and Devon without it having made the 280-mile round trip to their distribution depot in Bristol first. It seems that the race is on for supermarkets to brush-up their environmental credentials. Here is the low-down on just how green your supermarket is from the Independent.

Tesco
TRANSPORT: Reduced the miles travelled by its suppliers to its depots by 23 per cent since 2004 and cut fuel use by 14 per cent. Is trialing a methane-powered lorry
ENERGY USE: Spending £100m to introduce measures including wind turbines, geothermal energy and a gasification plant which uses food waste to generate power
PACKAGING: Hands out four billion carrier bags a year, more than Sainsbury’s and Asda combined. Pledges 25 per cent reduction by 2007 and will swap to “degradable” bags
ECO-CONTENT: Pledges to drop endangered fish species. Brings in less than three per cent of imports by air. Is considering joining sustainable palm oil initiative

Asda
TRANSPORT: Increasing the use of trains to transport non-perishable goods. Piloting a scheme for growers to deliver produce direct to stores
ENERGY USE: Has pledged that all its stores will be “zero waste” by 2010, including the use of biomass boilers to burn waste to produce heat and refrigeration
PACKAGING: Gives out 1.8 billion bags a year. This week starts a “bag for life” scheme, costing customers 5p per bag with 1p going to a breast cancer charity
ECO-CONTENT: Has pledged to stock only wild-caught fish from sustainable fisheries. Recently joined scheme to use only sustainably grown palm oil

Sainsburys
TRANSPORT: Has reduced the number of road “food miles” by five per cent in the past 12 months and has pledged to move more goods by rail
ENERGY USE: Has the lowest CO2 emissions in the sector and has pledged to reduce amount of waste sent to landfill by five per cent by 2010
PACKAGING: Gives out 1.6 billion bags a year. Has pledged to cut bag use by five per cent this year and sells 120,000 “permanent” bags a week
ECO-CONTENT: No longer stocks endangered fish species and has joined sustainable palm oil scheme

Morrisons
TRANSPORT: No information on food miles, but says it has introduced fuel-efficiency measures for its lorry fleet
ENERGY USE: Pledged to reducing in-store CO2 emissions from current level of 764,000 tons a year
PACKAGING: Gives out 1.3 billion bags a year. Described a reward scheme to encourage reuse as being “of limited success”
ECO-CONTENT: Has pledged to drop endangered fish species but continues to use palm oil not certified as sustainable. Sells bio-ethanol fuel

Waitrose
TRANSPORT: A scheme operates in all stores to offer local produce, which is given its own display section
ENERGY USE: In-store emissions have increased by 17 per cent in the last year but the chain says this is because it has more stores. Relative emissions have dropped since 2004
PACKAGING: The first supermarket chain to offer a “bag for life” scheme. Gives out 260 million bags a year and recycles returned bags
ECO-CONTENT: Accounts for 10 per cent of the whole organic market. Does not stock endangered fish and has joined sustainable palm oil scheme

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