UK Supermarket Supplier Carbon Requirements

If you supply a UK supermarket, a request for carbon data has probably already reached you. It might arrive as a questionnaire, an invitation to a supplier platform, or a line in a buyer meeting asking when you will set a science-based target. Each retailer words it differently, but the asks are converging.

This guide sets out what the main UK grocers say publicly about supplier emissions in 2026: their own targets, what they ask suppliers to do, and the platforms they use. We already have a detailed guide to Tesco's supplier requirements, so Tesco gets a short summary here.

What do UK supermarkets ask suppliers for? Most large UK grocers ask their biggest suppliers to measure Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions, set targets in line with the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), and share emissions data through a platform such as Secaro (formerly Manufacture 2030) or EcoVadis. Some add renewable electricity, deforestation-free sourcing and product-level data.

Why retailers are asking

For a supermarket, most emissions sit in the products it sells. Asda and Morrisons each say Scope 3 makes up around 98% of their footprint. Every retailer in this guide has public net zero targets, and most have had them validated by the SBTi. They cannot hit their Scope 3 targets unless suppliers cut emissions too, so supplier targets and supplier data have become part of how they track progress.

In December 2023, ten of the UK's biggest grocers (Aldi, Asda, Co-op, Lidl, M&S, Morrisons, Ocado Retail, Sainsbury's, Tesco and Waitrose) each partnered with Manufacture 2030, a supplier decarbonisation platform. That shared platform is one reason requests now look more alike across retailers. It has since been renamed Secaro, and Tesco says in its 2026 Sustainability Report that it has left and will not take part in the 2026 campaign, so check which platform each customer now uses.

UK supermarket supplier requirements compared

What each retailer asks

Tesco

Tesco aims for net zero in its own operations by 2035 and across its value chain by 2050. Its SBTi-validated interim targets include a 55% cut in Scope 3 energy and industrial emissions and a 39% cut in Scope 3 FLAG (forest, land and agriculture) emissions by 2032, from a 2019/20 base.

In its 2026 Sustainability Report, Tesco says it has asked suppliers to set science-based targets and transition to net zero. Of its top 50 food and grocery suppliers, which account for over 46% of its business, 88% have a public net zero commitment and 60% have SBTi-validated targets. Tesco also runs a sustainability-linked supply chain finance programme with Santander, and it has left Secaro (formerly Manufacture 2030) in favour of more direct engagement with suppliers. For the detail, read our guide to meeting Tesco's sustainability requirements.

Sainsbury's

Sainsbury's targets net zero in its own operations by 2035 and across its value chain by 2050. Its SBTi-validated 2030 targets are a 68% cut in Scope 1 and 2 emissions, a 50.4% cut in Scope 3 energy, industry and transport emissions, and a 36.4% cut in FLAG emissions.

Sainsbury's has been specific about suppliers. In its 2024 announcement, it asked suppliers responsible for a high share of its Scope 3 emissions to get approved science-based targets by the end of 2025, and to disclose site-level emissions and reduction plans through Manufacture 2030 and Higg. That deadline has now passed, so if you are in that group and have no validated target, expect follow-up questions.

Asda

Asda is committed to net zero operations by 2040. On its value chain emissions page, it says it is preparing to re-set its carbon targets across all scopes, including a new FLAG target. At its 2024 supplier conference, Asda asked its highest-impact suppliers, those supplying products that account for around 80% of its total carbon footprint, to engage with the EcoVadis data-sharing and assessment platform (Asda). Alongside the assessment, it requests carbon metric and intensity data.

Asda also links money to performance. Its sustainability-linked supply chain finance, launched with HSBC in 2024 and extended to UK suppliers with Lloyds in 2025, offers preferential rates and faster payment to suppliers that share data and perform well on sustainability KPIs, scored through EcoVadis (Asda). Taking part is voluntary.

Morrisons

In December 2025, Morrisons had new SBTi-validated targets approved, including net zero across its full value chain by 2050. By 2035, from a 2019 base, it aims to cut Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 80%, Scope 3 emissions by 40% and Scope 3 FLAG emissions by 48.5%.

Morrisons credits collaboration with suppliers for its progress and says it will keep working with them, but it has not published a deadline for suppliers to set their own targets. The farm and land-use targets point to where questions are likely: agricultural emissions in meat, dairy and produce. Check with your buyer for what applies to your category.

Aldi UK

Aldi South Group, which includes Aldi UK, has SBTi-validated targets for net zero across its value chain by 2050, including a 52% cut in Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2030 from 2021 (Grocery Gazette).

On its carbon reduction page, Aldi says it encourages suppliers that account for 75% of its Scope 3 emissions to set science-based targets in line with 1.5°C, and it is rolling out a national supplier climate engagement strategy. It works with Supplier Leadership on Climate Transition (Supplier LOCT) on supplier climate education. Its supplier page also asks for science-based climate action and partnering on life cycle assessments for key product lines.

Lidl GB

Lidl GB has committed to net zero by 2050, with Scope 1 and 2 targets for 2030 and Scope 3 targets for 2034, including a 42.4% cut in FLAG emissions from a 2022 base. In its 2024 announcement, Lidl said it is working towards strategic suppliers responsible for 75% of product-related Scope 3 emissions having SBTi-aligned climate targets by 2026.

Lidl GB has partnered with Manufacture 2030 and with Mondra, a product footprinting platform, to help suppliers improve Scope 3 data and cut emissions. If you are a strategic Lidl supplier, 2026 is the year that target falls due.

Waitrose and John Lewis Partnership

The John Lewis Partnership, which owns Waitrose, has SBTi-validated targets for net zero across its own operations by 2035 and its entire supply chain by 2050. It also aims for net zero across its UK farms by 2035.

On its climate action page, the Partnership says it has asked suppliers representing the largest share of its emissions to set science-based targets in line with 1.5°C. Waitrose suppliers covering more than 51% of its purchased goods and services footprint now have SBTi-approved targets, and John Lewis suppliers are being asked to do the same. It is also building Scope 3 reduction roadmaps with key suppliers and farming groups.

Category-specific data requests are also appearing. In October 2025, Waitrose said it would use the Seafood Carbon Emissions Profiling Tool (SCEPT) to gather data from seafood suppliers and find carbon hotspots (Grocery Gazette).

M&S

M&S aims to be net zero across its value chain by 2040, ten years ahead of most grocers. Its SBTi-validated targets include a 42% cut in Scope 3 non-FLAG emissions and a 30.3% cut in Scope 3 FLAG emissions by FY2030, from a FY2023 base.

Its Plan A pages list the clearest supplier expectations of any UK retailer: science-based targets aligned to net zero by 2040, a move to 100% renewable electricity, deforestation- and conversion-free commodities, better resource use, waste and water management, and human rights and environmental standards. M&S also has specific key asks for food suppliers.

Co-op

Co-op has SBTi-validated targets for net zero in its own operations by 2035 and across its value chain by 2040. Its 2030 targets, from a 2016 base, include a 58.8% cut in Scope 3 energy and industrial emissions and a 42.4% cut in Scope 3 FLAG emissions (Sustainability Beat).

Co-op ties supplier targets to its own finance. Its £400m sustainability-linked revolving credit facility, extended in December 2024, includes a target for suppliers covering 79% of its Scope 3 emissions to have science-based targets by the end of 2030, up from 47% (Co-op). Because the bank terms depend on it, expect Co-op to keep asking about your target.

What this means for your business

The common thread is simple. Large and high-emitting suppliers are expected to have a measured footprint, a science-based target and a way to share data. Smaller suppliers may not get a deadline yet, but the same questions tend to move down the supplier list over time.

• Scope 3 matters most. Retailers care about the emissions in what you sell, so ingredients, packaging and farming count more than your office.
• Deadlines are passing. Sainsbury's asked high-emitting suppliers for targets by the end of 2025, and Lidl's goal falls in 2026.
• Farm emissions are in scope. Most grocers now have FLAG targets, so suppliers of meat, dairy and fresh produce should expect detailed questions.
• Requests overlap. One good dataset can answer Secaro (formerly Manufacture 2030), EcoVadis and buyer questionnaires, as long as it is built properly.
• There can be a financial upside. Asda and Tesco both run sustainability-linked supplier finance that rewards suppliers who share data and cut emissions.

How to prepare

1. Find out what each customer has asked for. List every retailer request, platform invitation and deadline in one place, and ask your buyer what applies to your category.
2. Measure Scope 1, 2 and 3. Build a footprint in line with the GHG Protocol, with clear methods and a base year you can stand behind.
3. Set a science-based target. If you are a smaller business, the SBTi's SME route may be quicker. Our guide to SBTi for SMEs explains the options.
4. Work out your hotspots. Find the ingredients, materials and processes that drive most of your emissions, and focus reduction plans there.
5. Get product-level data where it counts. If retailers ask about specific lines, a product carbon footprint gives them a figure per unit.
6. Switch to renewable electricity. It is a clear M&S ask and one of the quickest wins for most manufacturers.
7. Respond through the platforms. Keep your Secaro (formerly Manufacture 2030), EcoVadis and other submissions consistent with the same underlying data.
8. Update every year. Retailers track progress, so plan to refresh your footprint and report against your target annually.

To see how your numbers compare with other UK businesses, read our UK carbon data benchmark 2026.

How Zevero helps

Zevero combines carbon accounting software with in-house sustainability experts. For food and drink and consumer goods suppliers, we help you:

• Measure a corporate carbon footprint across Scope 1, 2 and 3, aligned with the GHG Protocol
• Calculate product carbon footprints for the lines retailers ask about
• Set and submit science-based targets, and build a reduction plan to meet them
• Answer supplier requests and platform submissions from one consistent dataset
• Get advice from our experts when a buyer question is unclear

If a retailer has asked you for emissions data or a target, book a demo to see how we can help you respond.