Abstract
Food retail is a key sector of the UK economy, representing nearly a third of the Gross Value Added (GVA) from the agri-food chain, which equated to 6% of the national GVA in 2020. This makes the retail sector a heavy energy user and a significant emitter, with most greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (scope 1&2)
originating from refrigeration. Quantifying these impacts is therefore critical to better understand the environmental footprint of food retail and to support national decarbonisation ambitions. As most UK studies to date have relied on data from the early 2010s, this investigation is aimed at updating current estimations of energy consumption and GHG emissions from retail refrigeration in the UK, based on a comprehensive review of current literature and Government databases. Findings indicate that retail refrigeration, which
encompasses convenience stores and supermarkets, accounts for 3.28 TWh of electricity consumption (ca. 1% of UK demand) and emits 2.27 MtCO2e annually (ca. 0.5% of UK emissions).
originating from refrigeration. Quantifying these impacts is therefore critical to better understand the environmental footprint of food retail and to support national decarbonisation ambitions. As most UK studies to date have relied on data from the early 2010s, this investigation is aimed at updating current estimations of energy consumption and GHG emissions from retail refrigeration in the UK, based on a comprehensive review of current literature and Government databases. Findings indicate that retail refrigeration, which
encompasses convenience stores and supermarkets, accounts for 3.28 TWh of electricity consumption (ca. 1% of UK demand) and emits 2.27 MtCO2e annually (ca. 0.5% of UK emissions).
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 11 Jun 2024 |
| Event | 8th IIR International Conference on Sustainability and the Cold Chain - Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan Duration: 9 Jun 2024 → 11 Jun 2024 https://iifiir.org/en/events/8th-iir-conference-on-sustainability-and-the-cold-chain |
Conference
| Conference | 8th IIR International Conference on Sustainability and the Cold Chain |
|---|---|
| Country/Territory | Japan |
| City | Tokyo |
| Period | 9/06/24 → 11/06/24 |
| Other | Scheduled to take place on June 9-11, 2024, at Waseda University in Tokyo (Japan), the 8th IIR Conference on Sustainability and the Cold Chain (ICCC 2024) will provide a unique opportunity for experts to exchange on important topical subjects such as decarbonising the grid, sustainable food and cold chains, reducing energy use, and utilising heat recovery, among others, as part of the solution to the challenges facing the industry. |
| Internet address |
Keywords
- Retail Refrigeration, Supermarkets, Energy Consumption, Carbon Emissions, Footprinting
Rights Retention Statement
- This work was funded by the Department for Energy Security and Net zero [FM21297]. For the purpose of open access, the author has applied a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) licence to any Author Accepted Manuscript version arising.
