Suma doubles down on climate action in new sustainability impact report

Suma, the Yorkshire-based equal-pay worker co-operative, has published its second annual Sustainability Impact Report – outlining tangible progress on its environmental commitments during a critical year for the planet.

In 2024 – the first year global average temperatures breached the 1.5˚C threshold set by the Paris Agreement – Suma recorded a 3.7% drop in its Scope 1 and 2 emissions, alongside a 3.6% reduction in electricity use.

Other highlights include sending 7.5 tonnes of food waste to anaerobic digestion, a refreshed Buying Policy to strengthen sustainable sourcing and a pledge to continue sourcing truly sustainable bioMethane despite rising global costs.

For 48 years, the Co-operatives UK partner member has been dedicated to facing environmental concerns head on, and continues to operate with the long-term future in mind.

Further sustainability achievements include:

• Emissions: Working with carbon consultants Carbon Footprint Ltd, Suma reveals its emissions forecast, with the Net Zero long-term target is in line with a 1.5 degree warming scenario (SBTi aligned)
• Sustainable fuel: After discovering that cheap, falsely labelled biomethane production overseas caused the price of sustainable bioMethane to rise, Suma took the decision to uphold its ethical values and commitment to sourcing sustainable fuel. Suma is now committed to the increased price premium for sustainable bioMethane
• Updated Buying Policy: In its updated Buying Policy, outlining preferences for bringing in new products that follow the principles of 'reduce, re-use, recycle' to promote sustainable living. It also details the preference for working with suppliers who follow sustainable agricultural practices such as organic, regenerative agriculture and biodynamic growing methods
• Equal pay: Suma continues to lead the way on gender equality and equal pay with all workers paid the same, so operates with a zero pay-gap

Ben Pearson, Suma’s Sustainability Coordinator, said: ‘Despite a turbulent year, it has been encouraging to see the tangible results our actions are having in reducing our impact as we strive towards net zero. We are proud of the effort and collaboration across our teams to update our buying policy. 

"As a wholesaler, our supply chain is critical to how we do business, setting out our guidelines and standards is crucial for us to uphold our strong ethical values and continue sourcing responsibly.

Rebecca Kinnard, a product developer said: “It’s hard not to feel despair seeing the climate crisis play out in front of us now, so working on our report has been a real positive amongst the negative. By sharing our commitments and achievements, we hope to inspire more businesses, and prove that operating sustainably isn’t just possible, it’s vital.”