The Retail Climate Protection Offensive: Be efficient, protect the climate

Retail is an energy-intensive industry: Its greenhouse gas emissions are equivalent to over 20 million tons of CO₂. Businesses have to showcase products with modern sales rooms and sophisticated light systems, freeze or refrigerate perishable goods, heat or air-condition sales areas, and transport goods. Although there is an awareness of climate protection and energy efficiency in retail, many retailers are not taking full advantage of the potential for savings in their business.

The Climate Protection Offensive (KSO) was a broad-based industry campaign for climate, environmental and resource protection, energy efficiency and sustainability. It helped retail businesses find energy savings, reduce greenhouse gas emissions over the long term, and motivate consumers to consume in a climate-friendly manner. In the first project period from 2017 to 2020, the campaign created a solid foundation with a comprehensive online portal and events related to climate protection in retail. In the second project phase, the campaign updated the extensive web resources with additional subject matter and expanded the target group of retailers. The KSO also expanded and adapted event formats to the needs of retailers and the current circumstances: Through online and face-to-face events, retailers nationwide learnt the competitive advantages they can achieve through energy efficiency. This empowered them to identify and exploit potential for climate protection in their business. There were also three pilot projects aimed at concrete greenhouse gas savings.

The joint project between adelphi and the German Retail Federation (HDE) was funded by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety as part of the National Climate Protection Initiative (NKI). The NKI supported projects that created new incentives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in all areas of society, as well as eliminate barriers and information deficits that stood in the way of broad-based, cost-effective climate protection.

As part of the Climate Protection Offensive, adelphi was responsible for the development of a study of "energy efficiency measures for tenants in retail", which focuses in particular on the legal framework, relevant efficiency technologies, forms of tenant/landlord cooperation and suitable funding and financing instruments. A subsequent pilot project was built on this foundation, reviewing the use of potential funding and financing tools in practice. In addition, adelphi developed a funding database for retailers.