M&S takes another step to improve carbon efficiency

British high street retailer Marks & Spencer (M&S) has agreed a landmark deal with Future Biogas for the purchase of 35,000 megawatt hours of biomethane certificates, a move which will reduce its carbon footprint by over 6,400 tonnes and source the equivalent amount of energy to heat 15 M&S Simply Food stores all year round.

Biomethane gas is 50% more carbon efficient than average gas supplies and is generated by anaerobic digestion, fuelled by farm waste.

The biomethane gas will be produced at the Vulcan Anaerobic Digestion plant  near Doncaster (pictured above) using break crops (non-commercial crops used for soil regeneration) from farms across Yorkshire and the North East. The gas is then pumped into the national grid. 

M&S’s deal with Future Biogas funds the production and M&S benefits from the carbon reduction through the certification scheme.

Gio Patellaro, M&S Head of Energy Supply & Risk commented: “As the first UK retailer to buy biomethane to use in this way, we are blazing a trail in the market place that we hope others will follow. With the help of Future Biogas, this deal takes us one step further in our commitment to ensure 50% of the energy used in M&S buildings comes from certified green biomethane sources by 2020.”