Co-op has promoted its group property director Heather Thomas by adding sustainability to her brief.
Thomas has become group property and sustainability director, having been tasked with overseeing the society’s goal to achieve net zero from its own operations by 2035.
Thomas has been with the Co-op since December 2021 having first joined as food finance director. She took over the property team in May 2022.
Before joining Co-op, Thomas spent five years with Walmart International, where she led the real estate team across 10 international markets. Prior to that she worked for Asda in both property and finance roles.
“Co-op has led the charge in sustainability for many years and has in fact pioneered many green initiatives across the industry,” said Thomas.
“Climate and sustainability is something we know our member-owners care deeply about and I’m thrilled that I get to now focus on this vital element of our strategy to drive critical change for our co-op, and our members.
“In this new position, I will leverage collective expertise to establish and execute a robust and co-operative operating model for the delivery of Co-op’s sustainability and climate strategy.
“This will involve developing a cohesive approach for both functional and cross-functional collaboration to ensure seamless execution of plans in the years ahead and beyond.”
Earlier this year, Co-op became the first UK convenience retailer to have its net zero targets validated by the globally recognised Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). So far it has reported a 21% reduction in Scope 3 emissions from 2016 to 2023 while also more than halving (59%) its Scope 1 and 2 emissions.
It said this had been achieved through investment in low-carbon technologies including reducing energy use, phasing in lower impact refrigerants, and reducing fuel use for transport as well as action to reduce the carbon intensity of key lines such as meat and dairy.
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