Energy

Specific energy consumption per square metre of selling space was lowered by more than 5 percent to 414 kWh in 2009 compared with the previous year. In addition to a new awareness about the issue and training of employees, the main reasons for this reduction were optimised building-management systems and the use of efficiency technologies in all sales divisions. In a reflection of this, the need for heating was significantly lowered in Western Europe in spite of the cold winters in 2008 and 2009.


Waste

Specific volumes of waste per square metre of selling space were lowered by more than 11 percent to 46.2 kg in 2009. The reasons were both decreased sales as well as a marked reduction in transport packaging. At 76.2 percent, the recycling rate of METRO GROUP slipped slightly compared with the previous year (77.4 percent). In Eastern Europe, on the other hand, the recycling rate climbed nearly 15 percent due to the expansion of the national recycling infrastructure.


Refrigerants

The refill rate for refrigerants rose 3.6 percent compared with the previous year. The rise resulted from the replacement of the HCFC refrigerant R22 with the more environmentally responsible HFC refrigerant in all units in Germany. METRO GROUP has chosen the newly developed refrigerant R422D as an alternative to R22. Because the refrigerant service provider lacked experience with the technical issues related to R422D, leaks frequently occurred during the initial phase of the transition. For this reason, 22 percent more refrigerant escaped in Germany compared with the previous year.


Paper

In 2009, 75 percent of the paper acquired around the world by METRO GROUP Advertising (MGA) on behalf of the sales divisions for use in customer newspapers and magazines was environmentally friendly. This was an increase of 5.6 percent over 2008. All sales divisions changed their paper portfolio to favour more environmentally friendly alternatives.


Explanation on the truck fleet

The share of vehicles among METRO's entire fleet of trucks that comply with the emission standard EURO 5 rose by 16.4 percent to 90 vehicles in 2009 compared with the previous year. At the same time, the average use of diesel fuel per 100 kilometres fell by more than 4 percent. As part of the value- and efficiency-enhancing programme Shape 2012, investments in the company's own truck fleet are being extended over a longer period of time. As a result, the original goal of having the entire truck fleet comply with the EURO 5 standard by the end of 2009 was put off to the end of 2011. cbi:///cms/73759