Supermarkets are at the heart of our communities. As a result, they are the frontlines of the battle against climate change. As major players in the retail sector, supermarkets’ role in the UK’s clean energy transition is pivotal.
Leading the charge by setting ambitious sustainability goals are top food retailers like Tesco, Morrisons, and Asda. Tesco and Morrisons aim for net zero operational emissions by 2035, and Asda has committed to net zero by 2040, with a 20% reduction in food waste by 2025.
Achieving these targets isn’t just about meeting regulations—it’s about redefining what it means to be a sustainable business.
While addressing scope 3 emissions across the entire value chain is crucial, supermarkets have a unique opportunity to make a tangible impact within their own operations too. Energy usage from high-consuming assets and food waste are just some of the sustainability challenges retailers face, and although they are significant, they are also surmountable.
Digital solutions are revolutionising store operations, from cutting edge energy management systems that optimise consumption to advanced analytics that drive efficient and effective maintenance, as well as minimising food waste. These technologies are not just tools; they are catalysts for change, enabling retailers to achieve their sustainability goals while enhancing efficiency and reducing costs.
In this new era, sustainability is not a burden, but rather an opportunity to lead and innovate. By embracing digital transformation, food retailers can pioneer a greener future, setting new standards for the industry and making a lasting positive impact on the planet.
Curbing Consumption
Reducing energy consumption through digitalisation is a game-changer for supermarkets. By optimising machines, such as refrigeration equipment and HVAC systems, retailers can achieve significant energy savings. Deploying solutions that are controls-agnostic means that seamless integration of any device, regardless of its manufacturer or age, into a modern digital system can be achieved at speed and scale. This approach transforms existing environments, allowing retailers to harness the power of Internet of Things (IoT) technology without the traditional need for costly machine upgrades.
The result is a revolutionised operation that maximises efficiency while minimising costs and consumption.
Once integrated, these IoT solutions mine millions of raw, real-time data points from the retailer’s infrastructure. Everything from machine health and performance to energy consumption and set points are being collected from thousands of machines across a retail estate, enabling visibility and control like never before. Advanced IoT solutions can then analyse the data to identify inefficiencies in machine performance. Beyond just detection, these systems automatically enact adjustments to ensure optimal output, protecting the integrity of assets, extending their life cycle, and reducing unnecessary energy consumption.
Furthermore, through clever contextualisation with other systems and data sets, IoT solutions can leverage the visibility and control they have over machines to automate more effective schedules to again reduce and optimise the consumption of energy. For example, stores can set lighting and HVAC systems to automatically adjust and maintain themselves based on store opening hours to slash energy consumption during out of hours and reduce costs.
Modernised Maintenance
This unprecedented access to real-time performance and efficiency data is transforming maintenance, shifting it from reactive to predictive. IoT solutions continuously monitor assets for incremental changes and can identify early when an asset performance deviates from ideal conditions and is demonstrating warnings of a fault or failure. Advanced solutions can enact immediate and automatic changes to keep the asset within its peak operational efficiency. If these changes are unsuccessful in correcting the problem, the solution would automatically create an alert to notify a relevant engineer.
With access to this technology, engineers can often attempt remote fixes or accurately diagnose the issue before even arriving on-site. When a physical visit is necessary, engineers are equipped with detailed insights into the problem, ensuring that the right person, with the right tools and parts, is dispatched. This approach significantly increases the first-time fix rate, reducing both the manpower and the number of truck rolls required to resolve the issue.
Early fault detection and swift resolution are crucial in preventing catastrophic machine breakdowns, which can lead to excessive energy consumption or, in the case of refrigeration, the loss of valuable stock. By addressing issues before they escalate, retailers can maintain operational efficiency and minimise risks to their business.
Reducing Food Waste
With an estimated one-third of all the food produced in the world going to waste, tackling the complex issue of food waste is a critical sustainability issue. Food retailers are at the forefront of this effort, using digital technology to improve food safety, quality and shelf life, significantly reducing waste levels.
IoT technology offers the granular monitoring and management of refrigeration to ensure immediate action and intervention is possible to protect perishable goods. Traditionally, the complexity of the supply chain has led to retailers chilling all food to the lowest temperature required by the most sensitive items, such as meat. However, with the integration of IoT technology and third-party data like merchandising systems, retailers can now automatically set, monitor, and maintain refrigeration temperatures tailored to the specific contents. As a result, not only does IoT hugely reduce energy consumption, but i also enhances food qualit, and minimises food wastage.
In response to extreme temperatures, such as the heatwaves in the summer of 2022, retailers are more focused than ever on maintaining optimal conditions for fresh produce and protecting against the heat. Digital technology supports this by implementing load-shedding strategies, shifting energy from less critical units (for example, those containing fizzy drinks) to support the most critical units, which require the most energy and to be cooled to the lowest temperature (e.g containing fresh produce). This ensures product safety and freshness, reducing unnecessary food waste.
A Real-World Impact
Digital technology is revolutionising the food retail industry. Control-agnostic IoT solutions, real-time data collection, and automated action are helping retailers improve energy management, optimise machine maintenance, and reduce food waste.
Going forward, food retailers must continue embracing digital innovation to stay flexible and responsive to new challenges, such as rising temperatures and increasing heatwaves. This commitment to technology will drive continued progress in sustainability, ensuring a greener future for the industry and the planet.
- Digital Strategy
- Sustainability Technology
