The East Anglian property consultancy Bidwells has published a report, looking at the sustainability of one of Asda's potato supply chains, from field to store.
The project consisted of three interrelated phases.
The first phase assessed a number of baseline indicators of sustainability, focusing on the generation of waste, the use of resources including packaging, the use of energy and the associated greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with the supply chain.
The second phase was largely based around the findings of phase one, and looked at ways in which the supply chain's use of resources, primarily energy and packaging, could be replaced by renewable alternatives. Further to this, economic appraisals of the renewable energy technologies were carried out and their potential to reduce GHG emissions from the supply chain was assessed.
Phase three ran in parallel to the rest of the project and consisted of in-depth consumer research designed to assess current levels of understanding and interest in sustainability, renewable energy and broader environmental issues. The core objective was to test the scope to develop sustainability as a consumer proposition.
The report calculates that this particular supply chain, which delivers over 100,000 tonnes of potatoes is responsible for 21,575 tonnes of CO2e, over 60% of which occur at the farming stage.
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