Satyendra Pathak
Doha
The Lulu Group is working on several initiatives to reduce the Group’s carbon footprint by 50 percent before 2030 and to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, LuLu Group International Director Dr Mohamed Althaf has said.
In an exclusive interview with Qatar Tribune, Althaf said, "Our own target what they call now is Scope 3 emissions and we are working on it. We are committed to our goal of reducing our emissions by 50 percent before 2030 which is also aligned with the 2030 vision of Qatar. We are well very much within our target.”
He said, "We have the first private building that is energy efficient. The Lulu Group has done well In terms of energy efficiency, water wastage management and plastic usage reduction. The Group is also the first in Qatar to open a carbon neutral store. What we think now is that we are taking it to the next level where we think we should start now working with our supply chain to decarbonise.”
Althaf said that the Lulu Group is taking several initiatives to decarbonise its local and global supply chain to reduce the Group’s carbonfootprint.
He said, "When we talk about our supply chains, we are talking about both local and international supply chains. Internationally, we already have a very advanced level of negotiations with some of our shipping companies to use green fuel and find better tracks to reduce fuel consumption.
"So that is already happening. Our own supply chain institutions now in what we have in Birmingham in the UK, it is already net neutral. In US, now we are achieving the targets in terms of plastic recycling pallets, using electric vehicles and doing digital automation.”
In the UK, he said, "We have actually surplus power now. After operating all our facility and energizing all our vehicles, we still have power. So we are moving forward on that side that is happening. But what we think today is that at this point of time, we don’t want to have a stage where your net neutrality is going to increase your cost of operation. Because already a lot of people are saying that food is expensive, you know.
"So when we talk to people that, you know, we need to have sustainable transportation solution, they say no, this can add on to your cost, so we need to be very careful about this. Now, we think that digital transformation of our business is another thing that should add, and we want to make it not as separate strategies, our digital transformation should be part of our Climate Action Plan. So, we already have somebody appointed as a sustainability officer to look at how the integration can be made possible to both. So I think that if we automate a lot of our process, it can also help us in terms of carbon emissions.”
Althaf highlighted that LuLu Group has achieved several sustainable operations certification for various outlets in Qatar as part of its ongoing efforts to reduce energy, water, and waste, and to incorporate sustainable practices.
"We have a dedicated team with a broader vision to reduce LuLu’s carbon footprint. The project and the operations team started working on this broader dream by taking appropriate measures of studying and identifying the areas for reduction opportunities in energy, water, and waste.”
Besides these dedicated team, Althaf said that the Lulu Group is also planning to use and AI and Metaverse to achieve the Group’s nrt zero target.
He said, "We want to use a lot of AI on our maintenance. Other one is the health of our machines like chillers and freezers and vehicles as well. We can use the AI to design an efficient assortment to avoid wastage in terms of the space.”
He also revealed that the Lulu Group is all set open the first Metaverse store in Qatar soon.
Talking about the relevance of the ongoing Expo Doha 2023 and the Group’s participation in it, he said, "We are participating in this expo through our partners. So mainly we are going to do as part of the Italians. We are also talking to UK once they have their pavilion setup, maybe we can also participate with Ecuador.” For us, he said, "The expo is important not because it is a horticulture. I think we have been arguing that it is a time we want to make our food sustainable. You know that we have been always talking and I think the biggest highlight that we have with this expo is what I always tell people that climate change is the biggest threat to food security today.”
He said, "We have a problem today happening in Europe because of the change in climate there is no olive anywhere. We had one disaster in Pakistan in the form of heavy rains immediately that affects the production of rice. A country that is eating rice like Pakistan that is exporting rice suddenly don’t have anything and they have become importers.”
In view of these climate challenges, he said, "We are trying to diversify our sources of food imports. The Lulu Group has taken lead in this aspect and we are committed to ensure that food is accessible and cheaper for all.”
"LuLu is deeply committed to reducing its impact on the environment and taking real and lasting steps to ensure this. As part of our commitment to Qatar National Vision 2030, we have been actively working to reduce carbon emissions and food waste, as well as promote healthy eating,” he said.