UK | Morrisons has become the first UK retailer to take action with the Move to -15°C Coalition.
Recent comprehensive academic studies have shown that an increase of just three degrees in freezer temperatures across the supply chain will transform the global logistics landscape by cutting carbon emissions, saving energy and lowering costs.
Widespread global adoption of a change of just 3°C across the supply chain would mean potential savings equivalent to 8.6 percent of the UK's energy consumption and a reduction in carbon emissions equivalent to taking 3.8 million cars off the road.
In signing the Move to -15°C coalition’s letter of intent, Morrisons also committed to advocating through the UK supply chain for food producers, logistics operations and retailers to join the coalition.
For Morrisons, the carbon savings will also help achieve net zero carbon emissions from its operations by 2035. The significant cost savings will enable Morrisons to further cut, hold, or promote prices in its approximately 500 supermarkets and approximately 1,600 convenience stores across the UK over the long term.
“Industry standards today are based on safety, science or convenience. The standard temperature for storing and transporting frozen food today looks like a convention from nearly 100 years ago,” said Ruth McDonald, Morrisons Group Corporate Services Director.
“We now have vastly better freezers and modern technology and monitoring that gives us a precise picture of frozen food temperatures throughout the supply chain. We applaud the Move to -15°C movement for their original thinking and willingness to challenge a long-accepted standard and identify a significant opportunity for positive progress for both the environment and the food industry.”
McDonald said Morrisons enthusiastically embraced the opportunity and put together a concrete plan and timetable to increase the freezer temperatures across its stores and frozen supply chain by 3°C, encouraging suppliers and partners to do the same.
“We are delighted to welcome Morrisons to our Coalition and are excited that they are taking action. For us to be successful with making the change to -15°C, we must have representatives and support from every stage of the frozen food supply chain, so having a large UK retailer like Morrisons on board is an important step forward for us,” said Thomas Eskesen, Chairman of the Move to -15°C Coalition.
“By raising the temperature of its freezers in ten of its stores across the UK, Morrisons is demonstrating that change is possible, and we know that this seemingly small change can lead to a significant, positive, environmental impact.”
