Dutch environmental organisation questions Ahold Delhaize management

The Dutch NGO Milieudefensie has questioned Ahold Delhaize, the parent company of supermarket chains Delhaize and Albert Heijn, during the group's shareholders meeting on Wednesday about its climate policy. The environmental organisation wants Ahold Delhaize to make more of an effort regarding the climate.

The management emphasised that Ahold Delhaize shares their climate concerns and wants to take the right measures. As for the CO2 emissions of its own operations, it aims to be "net zero" - or climate neutral - by 2040, which refers to the balance between the amount of emissions produced and the amount removed from the atmosphere. By 2050, this should be the case for the group's entire food chain, said top executive Frans Muller.

"By 2030, we have set a target of halving our own CO2 emissions and we are on track to achieve this. Since 2018, which is our base year, we have already reduced our own emissions by 31 per cent," it sounded at the meeting.

To build on that momentum, the group is focusing on its own energy consumption, the use of harmful refrigerants in supermarkets and on transport. In addition, the company is ​ focusing on the transition to renewable energy. The management indicated that today 21% of the consumption of Ahold Delhaize already comes from this form of energy. Still according to the management, Delhaize Belgium has already switched to 100 percent renewable energy by 2021.

Earlier, Milieudefensie drew up a list of 29 companies that, in the eyes of the organisation, are doing too little to achieve the Paris climate targets. Apart from Ahold Delhaize, it targets the bank ABN AMRO, airline KLM and fertiliser manufacturer Yara, among others. The pressure group gave the companies until 15 April to come up with stricter climate plans. Milieudefensie already achieved success last year with a lawsuit against oil and gas company Shell.

© BELGA PHOTO LAURIE DIEFFEMBACQ