Shoprite has been scored low in a report released today by Greenpeace Africa (Greenpeace.org/Africa/en) on the state of renewable energy investments and commitments by South Africa’s top five retailers -Pick n Pay, Shoprite, Woolworths, Spar and Massmart.
The report , titled: Shopping clean: Retailers and renewable energy,revealed that at the bottom end of the updated ranking table both Spar and Shoprite are dragging behind their fellow retailers. Spar’s score has stayed the same as they have not made any progress in the renewable energy sector in 2016.
Shoprite continued to have the lowest score of three out of ten due to a lack of publicly available information, lack of transparency and unwillingness to engage with Greenpeace on these issues.
According to Climate and Energy Campaigner for Greenpeace Africa, Penny-Jane Cooke, “Shoprite’s sustained low score is a clear indication that the retailer is not yet taking renewable energy seriously, neither are they engaging with the Renewable Energy Champions campaign. Greenpeace believes that Shoprite in particular can do much more to show solar some love, and we call on all five of the country’s top retailers to convert their scores from average to ambitious”
On the other hand, atop the table, both Woolworths and Massmart had undertook solar PV installations; with Woolworths installing the first phase of their 2MW system at their Midrand distribution center, and Massmart installing a 520kW and a 430kW system at their Carnival Mall and Woodmead Makro stores respectively.
While commenting, Cooke said: “When comparing the retailers to one another, Woolworths is still in the lead with an improved score of six out of ten. Massmart is close behind Woolworths with a score of five and a half, a significant improvement from their April score. Pick n Pay has also shown a significant improvement and is now engaging with Greenpeace on how they can increase their commitments to renewable energy in the future.”
“The retailers have agreed to the need for a holistic sector approach that includes financial mechanisms and regulatory frameworks to create an enabling framework for renewable energy going forward, and have agreed to focus on lobbying for this, meanwhile Woolworths alone has taken the important step of committing to a 100% renewable energy future,” he added.
