By Luke Voogt
Aldi’s pledge to install solar panels at all of its local stores has won praise from Geelong Sustainability, with the group calling other supermarkets to follow suit.
Currently seven Aldi stores in Geelong, the Bellarine Peninsula and the Surf Coast have solar panels, according to a company statement.
The supermarket chain on Wednesday announced its stores, including Geelong outlets currently without solar panels such as Waurn Ponds and Newcomb, would convert to 100 per cent renewable energy by 2021.
“Aldi’s commitment … makes them a standout leader in the retail sector,” Geelong Sustainability president Vicki Perrett said.
“As supermarkets are large energy users, Geelong Sustainability is pleased to see Aldi installing rooftop solar energy across their network of stores and warehouses.
“We call on Coles Group and Woolworths Group to follow Aldi’s lead and publish much stronger targets for renewable energy and emissions reduction.”
Ms Perrett said Coles was moving in “this direction” but described Woolworth’s climate change policy as “unacceptable”.
Woolworth’s policy states no specific renewable targets and instead commits to investigating “cost-effective investments as technology and commercial opportunities evolve”.
“We’re in a global climate emergency and the next decade is crucial,” Ms Perrett said.
“The scientific evidence is overwhelming and our lived experiences from last summer are real and frightening.
“Our community has a genuine desire to be part of the solution but we need strong leadership and ambitious goals.”
Geelong Sustainability is calling for a target of 50 per cent renewable energy by 2030 and zero net emissions by 2040 across the region.
“We all have a responsibility to reduce our carbon emissions … even small changes can make a big difference if done collectively,” Ms Perrett said.
In 2018, Aldi’s Grovedale store was one of its first outlets in Australia to have solar panels installed.
The location is one of 175 across Australia currently powered by the sun and Aldi plans to extend this to about 250 stores and warehouses – half its network –by the end of 2020.
According to Aldi, this would include a total of 102,000 solar panels preventing 41,000 tonnes of carbon emissions a year, equivalent to taking 11,000 cars off the road.
The company plans to complete the rollout at all its stores by 2021.
