ICA Gruppen commits to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions across the value chain by 2050

ICA Gruppen's long-term ambition is to continue reducing the climate impact in the entire value chain, in line with 1.5°C goal of the Paris Agreement and net-zero emissions. Gruppen’s climate targets for 2030 and 2050 are approved by Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) and apply to all greenhouse gas emissions in the value chains (scope 1, 2 and 3).

ICA Gruppen’s science based targets

OVERALL NET-ZERO TARGET
- ICA Gruppen commits to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions across the value chain by 2050.

NEAR-TERM TARGETS
- Energy & industry (”Non-FLAG”): ICA Gruppen commits to reduce absolute scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions 42% by 2030 from a 2022 base year. ICA Gruppen also commits to reduce absolute scope 3 GHG emissions 42% within the same timeframe.
- FLAG (”Forest, Land and Agriculture”): ICA Gruppen commits to reduce absolute scope 3 FLAG GHG emissions 30.3% by 2030 from a 2022 base year*. ICA Gruppen also commits to no deforestation across its primary deforestation-linked commodities**, with a target date of December 2025.

LONG-TERM TARGETS
- Energy & industry (”Non-FLAG”): ICA Gruppen commits to reduce absolute scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions 90% by 2050 from a 2022 base year. ICA Gruppen also commits to reduce absolute scope 3 GHG emissions 90% within the same timeframe.
- FLAG (”Forest, Land and Agriculture”): ICA Gruppen commits to reduce absolute scope 3 FLAG GHG emissions 72% by 2050 from a 2022 base year.*

* The target includes FLAG emissions and removals
** As defined by the EU Deforestation Regulation

Key areas for reducing emissions by 2030

To ensure that emissions decrease in line with scienc based target, ICA Group monitors several key areas that address the most significant sources of emissions by 2030.

Reduced emissions from our own operations

ICA Gruppen emissions includes goods transport, stores/pharmacies, offices and warehouses. In 2023, 69 percent of the emissions from the company's own operations came from goods transport, and the rest from the refrigerant and energy used in ICA Gruppen's offices, stores/pharmacies and warehouses, as well as from business travels.

Reduced climate impact from customers' food purchases

The services we offer our customers, together with our work to reduce the carbon footprint of products, are designed to contribute to our ambition to reduce the climate impact from customers' food purchases with 30% by 2030 compared to 2022.

To achieve the target to cut the carbon footprint of customers’ grocery purchases in half, every product on our shelves must also have a lower carbon footprint in 2030 than in 2020. Cooperation with our suppliers is therefore a central part of this work.ICA has set a goal that our suppliers that have the largest climate impacts, and which today account for 70% of our upstream climate impact, shall have adopted science-based climate targets by 2025 at the latest. This means that they – just like us – are to work with emissions reductions at a pace that, based on science, is required to slow global warming. ICA is also working to reduce the climate impact of its assortment through the ICA Växa (“ICA Grow”) initiative, for example, as well as through efforts to sell a larger share of vegetarian options and fruits and vegetables.

In addition, extensive work is being carried out to change habits and behaviors by inspiring and engaging customers to make more climate-smart choices.

Science-based climate targets

To ensure that companies' climate targets are in line with what is required to reach the global climate goals, international standards exist. The organization Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) is a collaboration between CDP, the UN Global Compact, the World Resources Institute and WWF, which verifies that companies' targets are in accordance with the standards developed.

Gruppen’s climate targets for 2030 and 2050 are approved by Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). ). The goals are in line with SBTi's standard for net zero targets, which includes:
- Includes targets for 2030 and 2050.
- Includes all scopes under the GHG protocol (scope 1, 2 and 3).
- Have different targets for FLAG (forest, land and agriculture) emissions and for other emissions.