Sainsbury’s has fitted its 400,000th Aerofoil to fridges in its new Battersea Park Station store, meaning all of its convenience stores and supermarkets are now fitted with the innovative energy saving technology.
The news follows Sainsbury’s announcement in January 2020 where it pledged to invest £1bn over the next 20 years to become a Net Zero business in its own operation by 2040 – ten years ahead of UK government legislation.
Sainsbury’s was the first supermarket to install Aerofoils in 2017. After undertaking extensive research into the positive impact Aerofoil fitted fridges would have on energy reduction, Sainsbury’s made the decision to roll them out across convenience stores and supermarkets, and as a result has seen a 15 per cent energy reduction from its fridges across the estate.
The technology has been created by Aerofoil Energy and Williams Advanced Engineering, a technology and engineering services business.
Initially created to divert air over and around race cars to allow them to maximise performance, in store it helps prevent cold air from leaving the cabinet, directing it back into the fridge. This saves energy, keeps aisles warmer and reduces food waste, by maintaining products at their optimal temperature.
The fitting of the one millionth Aerofoil in the UK in the Sainsbury’s Battersea Park Station store marks a huge milestone in cutting carbon emissions. Each year, Aerofoil equipped fridges in Sainsbury’s deliver carbon savings of 8,783 tonnes of CO2e.
As part of its £1bn investment to become Net Zero by 2040, Sainsbury’s will see changes focusing on reducing carbon emissions, food waste, plastic packaging and water usage, and increasing recycling, biodiversity and healthy, sustainable lifestyles.
The retailer’s current carbon footprint is one million tonnes, which is a 35 per cent absolute reduction in the last 15 years, despite its space increasing by 46 per cent over the same time frame. For the last six years Sainsbury’s has been awarded an ‘A’ grade listing for taking action on Climate Change by the CDP (Carbon Disclosure Report), the highest rating of any UK supermarket.
