JYSK will cut carbon emissions in half

Becoming more sustainable is on the agenda at JYSK, and several new initiatives have seen the light of day. Most recently, we have set targets for reducing our greenhouse gas emissions.

A little over a year ago, Sam Harrington joined JYSK in a newly created position as Sustainability Manager. His task was clear: to be at the forefront of the work of making JYSK more sustainable.

A lot has happened since. A lot of figures have been carefully collected, huge spreadsheets have taken shape and complicated calculations completed. As a result, today JYSK has an overview of how much carbon our business emits.

“JYSK has always been very good at financial accounting. Now we are also calculating our corporate carbon footprint, and for the first time, we have an understanding of how much our business impacts climate change. This understanding helps us make smarter choices about how we can best reduce our carbon footprint,” says Sam.

Based on these new insights, JYSK has set targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, including carbon.

Cut in half before 2030

JYSK aims to cut in half the absolute greenhouse gas emissions emitted from powering and heating all our stores, distribution centres, offices, and company owned vehicles by 2030 (from a 2019 baseline), while still opening 200 additional stores every year. 
More initiatives will help us reach our goals, among others solar panels and other ways to shift to green electricity and carbon neutral heating.

Make a difference

For several years, JYSK has been working to make our facilities more efficient. For example, we have switched to LED lighting in almost all stores, distribution centres and office buildings.
While Sam continues the work on collecting data as well as developing new initiatives, every colleague can make a difference already today.

“Every JYSK employee can help shrink our carbon footprint by turning off lights and other appliances running on electricity when not in use. Store teams can make a significant difference by making sure thermostats are set properly, and by keeping the doors to the stock room shut as much as possible,” says Sam.

Carbon neutral by 2050

As a retailer, JYSK’s carbon footprint extends way beyond our own operations. The majority of emissions come from the factories that produce our products, and from the ships and trucks that bring them to our distribution centres, stores and customers. 

JYSK will be engaging supply chain and transportation partners to set goals and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. 

JYSK’s goal is to be carbon neutral throughout everything we do by 2050.