Tesco to open eco-store

Tesco has announced that it will be opening its first eco-store later this year in Tramore, Ireland.

The 30,000 sq ft mega-shop will use 45% less energy than standard supermarkets of a similar size. It will also cut back on around 420 tonnes of CO2 per year, a 30% saving compared to standard stores.

Costing €12.5 million, the store will be built with environmentally friendly construction materials, preferring timber over steel, and technological features to create self-sufficiency for heating and hot water, including solar panels to generate electricity, air retrieval, and recycling materials.

Announcing the new store, Tesco Ireland’s CEO Tony Keohane said that businesses have a responsibility to take the lead in helping Ireland reach its renewable energy targets.

He added that Tesco Ireland has recently been taking a number of measures to reduce its environmental impact, including using biofuel to run its distribution fleet, and measuring the carbon footprint of 30 of Tesco’s own-brand products.

It has also been reported that Tesco is to start labelling some of its food products with a ‘carbon count’ level which will show the amount of CO2 put into the atmosphere by the product’s manufacture and distribution.