JOHANNESBURG, (CAJ News) – SOUTH Africa’s top five retailers have a major role to play in shaping sustainable growth in the energy sector.

This is according to a new report, which called on the need to champion South Africa’s transition to 100 percent renewable energy.

The report ‘Shopping Clean – Retailers and Renewable Energy’ marks the launch of a new Greenpeace campaign ‘Renewable Energy Champions’ initially aimed at getting the country’s top five retailers to promote solar energy.

Pick n Pay, Massmart, Spar, Woolworths and Shoprite are the five biggest retailers.

In the report, Woolworths ranks highest with an overall score of four out of ten. Woolworths and Pick n Pay currently have solar PV installations that contribute a small percentage of renewable energy to their overall operations. Massmart and Woolworths have both identified pilot solar PV projects for distribution centres and stores respectively that will be
rolled out in 2016.

Shoprite received the lowest ranking because of its lack of transparency with regard to the company’s energy information.

“Ranking the five retailers against one another makes it clear that none of them are doing particularly well when it comes to a commitment to a 100 percent renewable energy vision,” said Penny-Jane Cooke, Climate and Energy Campaigner for Greenpeace Africa.

“Also, none of the retailers are engaged in active lobbying for the barriers to renewable energy to be removed, which is an essential step if a 100 percent vision is to be achieved, and this has heavily impacted on their scores.”

Greenpeace believes that Pick n Pay, Massmart, Spar, Woolworths and Shoprite can lead South Africa to a clean energy future by making a commitment to 100 percent renewable energy.

– CAJ News