Dutch supermarkets are far from achieving their climate goals. They are increasingly mapping out how they want to achieve the ‘Paris’ goals, but reducing greenhouse gas emissions is proving difficult. That leaves the latest Superlist Green from research agency. Emissions even increased at Aldi and Lidl.
At the same time, Questionmark, which, among other things, investigates the sustainability of supermarkets, sees that Lidl is furthest ahead. “Lidl is the only one that has a roadmap for the short and long term, until 2050. They clearly show how they want to reduce their emissions and whether they will achieve that,” says lead researcher Gustaaf Haan.
In addition to tackling emissions, Questionmark also investigated how supermarkets try to achieve targets for a more plant-based diet, how they stimulate sustainable (organic) agriculture and whether they reduce plastic packaging enough and combat overfishing.
Dirk unclear about emissions
All things considered, Lidl is doing the most to encourage consumers to shop more sustainably. Albert Heijn is in second place and then Jumbo, Plus, Aldi and Dirk follow. The latter is the only one that does not report on its full emissions. These six supermarkets were chosen because 80 percent of Dutch people do their shopping here.
Beautiful plans are different from results, it turns out. All supermarkets have committed to the goal of the 2015 climate agreement to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. But only Jumbo and Plus saw emissions fall between 2022 and 2024. “But that does not mean that they are doing better than Lidl,” says lead researcher Gustaaf Haan. “Lower emissions can also be the result of less turnover.”
Aldi and Lidl also see it that way. “The increase mainly reflects the growing number of customers: absolute emissions are increasing, although we are continuously making the range and the chain more sustainable,” says a Lidl spokesperson. Aldi says that emissions due to new calculation methods appear to be higher than they actually are, although for this supermarket too, more sales have led to more emissions.
The Super List shows how difficult it is to compare supermarkets: they all do something different to achieve goals. They also collect and publish their data in different ways. For example, Albert Heijn is the only one that reports methane emissions separately. “Important,” says Haan, “because this greenhouse gas is very strong, especially when it comes from. But it also breaks down quickly, so with methane reduction you contribute a lot to slowing down warming in the short term.”
Lidl goes the furthest to prevent forests from being cut down for the production of soya (for animal feed) and palm oil. Laggard Aldi leads the way in coffee, tea and chocolate bars: these always have a top quality mark at this discounter (Fairtrade and Rainforest Alliance).
Vegetable targets far away
An important indicator of sustainability is what supermarkets do to get consumers to eat less meat and dairy and more vegetable proteins – not just veggie burgers and oat milk, but also legumes and mushrooms, for example, or vegetarian fresh packages. Less animal consumption results in lower emissions and is better for health.
Now almost 60 percent of protein sources sold in supermarkets are animal. The industry wants to reduce this, but every chain does something different for this, and their goals are still a long way off.
Questionmark and its affiliated organizations Milieudefensie and Mighty Earth believe that supermarkets should work together. “They are now trapped by fierce competition,” says Haan. “For example, Jumbo is the only one to stop temporary discounts on meat and has really suffered from this. Supermarkets can agree among themselves that they will stop meat promotions or bulk offers. Regulator ACM has already said that it will not impose fines for mutual agreements that encourage sustainability.”
In addition to climate goals, there are also goals for the conservation of nature and biodiversity. Supermarkets want to achieve this with, among other things, organic products. There too, the practice is still far from what is necessary according to Questionmark.
It has been agreed nationally that 15 percent of agricultural land in the Netherlands will be used for organic production by 2030. The goals and performance of the supermarkets lag far behind this. Sometimes they achieve higher turnover in individual categories. For example, Plus only sells organic milk, buttermilk, yoghurt and kilo packs of potatoes. “That doesn’t have to be more expensive,” says Haan, “and you make it easier for consumers.”
Finally, packaging, a thorn in the side of many people. Only Albert Heijn has managed to use 20 percent less packaging material in private labels compared to 2018. Lidl has achieved the target for reduction in private label products and AH comes closest to the target that the industry has agreed on for recycled plastic: 35 percent less packaging for private labels.
What to do as a consumer?
What can you as a consumer do with the Superlist? Do you have to scrutinize every supermarket for everything they do and don’t do? That is not the intention, says Haan. “You should be able to go to the nearest store and trust that your supermarket contributes to a more sustainable food system. As a citizen you also have a responsibility, but the purpose of this list is to make the supermarket change.”
Haan has been researching supermarkets for ten years now. During that period, he says, supermarkets have become much more transparent. “It is quite strange that until recently supermarkets were a black box, while they play a major role in a food system that is strongly linked to major problems, such as climate change or fair pay.”
The government now also has one dashboard on which supermarkets provide insight into what they are doing to combat waste, deforestation and emissions, among other things. Although this does not mean that Dutch supermarkets also perform better than supermarkets in other European countries, the Netherlands leads the way in terms of transparency, according to Haan.
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Supermarkets have now realized that the responsibility for healthy and sustainable choices does not lie solely with the consumer. “They now also realize that they can make a big difference in this. There are really people there who see that things have to be different.”
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