Co-op and the RSPB join forces to preserve nature’s carbon ‘stores'  through ambitious peatland restoration partnership

09 June 2023

Co-op and the RSPB have joined forces in a UK supermarket first to protect some of nature’s carbon ‘stores’ through ambitious restoration and long-term management of UK peatland.

Announcing the three-year partnership today (Friday, 9, June), Co-op's investment will enable RSPB's ongoing restoration and long-term management of areas of internationally important, RSPB-owned upland peatland in Scotland and Wales which are equivalent in size to around 400 football pitches - bringing vital peatland back into good condition to reduce carbon loss and, help to tackle climate change and protect nature.

Co-op’s initial investment will see RSPB receive £1million this year (2023), funded through sales of compostable carrier bags in its stores**

In the UK alone, an estimated 3.2 billion tonnes of carbon are stored in peatlands, and it is believed that without any intervention to repair and preserve UK peatlands, with almost 80% of UK peatland degraded, their greenhouse gas emissions could exceed the equivalent of 20 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) each year*

In addition to restoring and maintaining actively eroding peatland, and creating the conditions needed for the areas to recover, the projects will deliver additional environmental benefits including the protection of natural habitats for wildlife; and potentially improving water quality and, reducing flood risk by regulating water flow.

The partnership will initially focus on two areas of peatland which will both undergo a large-scale and complex programme of restoration and long-term management, also supported by National Peatland Action Programme in Wales and Peatland ACTION in Scotland:

Cerniau at RSPB Lake Vyrnwy in Powys, Wales - at the southern end of the Berwyn and South Clwyd mountains: A Special Area of Conservation, a Special Protected Area and Special Site of Scientific Interest, which is the largest area of blanket bog and European dry heath in Wales. The Berwyn range is also considered to be the most important upland area in Wales for breeding birds, with the area supporting a wide range of species including internationally significant numbers of Hen Harrier, Merlin, Peregrine and Red Kite.

Lumbister at RSPB Yell, which is situated on one of Shetland’s most northern isles: The peatland found across Lumbister is home to upland waders including Snipe, Dunlin, Golden Plover, Curlew, and Whimbrel, as well as other birds such as Arctic Skua, Great Skua, Red-throated Divers. Otters are also found here. The rare Bog Orchid is found at Lumbister along with Sphagnum moss, and the carnivorous plants, Round-Leaved Sundew and Butterwort. The partnership will build on work which took place at the site in 2021

Guy Stuart, Director of Sustainability, Technical and Agriculture, Co-op said: “We are in the grip of a climate and environment emergency, a crisis which is of humankind’s making and around the world we are seeing shocking water shortages, floods, extreme heat and biodiversity losses. It’s widely acknowledged that de-carbonisation needs to speed up and through co-operation of the global community, we can work together to reduce carbon at a faster rate. Our pioneering partnership with the RSPB will play a part in helping to avoid carbon emissions through repairing vital peatlands to increase carbon stores and support our work to prioritise action where we are able to make the most impact.”

Rebecca Munro the RSPB’s Executive Director for Income and Conservation Investment, said: “For us to have any chance of averting the climate crisis we need to be working far more closely with nature; to use the solutions it offers to help lock up carbon whilst also delivering for birds and other wildlife. Businesses have a vital role to play in the transition to net zero and we are excited to be working with Co-op to protect and restore some of our most precious upland sites to make sure these places are delivering for our climate whilst also providing a lasting home for our wildlife.”

Since 2016, Co-op has more than halved (56%) the carbon emissions of its operations, this work however will not be counted by Co-op towards its own carbon reduction targets or be used as an ‘offset’ to make claims towards carbon neutrality.***

In 2021 the retailer became the first UK supermarket to ban the sale of peat-based bagged compost from its stores, selling only peat-free alternatives.

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Editor notes:

The carbon loss reduction will be achieved through Peatland Code registered projects, at two sites initially, with further sites to follow at RSPB reserves in Scotland – by using the independent assessors appointed by the Peatland Code ensures robust third-party verification of outcomes, permanence and environmental benefit.

*Source: IUCN Peatland Programme  - IUCN UK Peatland Programme (iucn-uk-peatlandprogramme.org)

**The Government introduced a levy on every sale of carrier bags in England, Scotland and Wales to help reduce the impact of single-use carrier bags. Co-op replaced single-use carrier bags with compostable bags, and donates the profit from the sale of those bags to help improve communities across the UK

***Co-op will not count this work towards its carbon reduction targets or use this as an ‘offset’ to make claims towards carbon neutrality. The carbon offset credits generated from the partnership will simply be ‘retired’, but will provide an indicator and measure of the climate impact that this partnership is delivering.

**** To provide assurance to buyers, Peatland Code projects and their Greenhouse Gas assertion will be validated and verified by an independent validation/verification body to a limited or reasonable level of assurance. ISO 14064-3 and 14065 will be used as the governing standard for Peatland Code validation and verification delivery. The validation/verification body shall possess, or are working towards, accreditation by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) to ISO 14064-3 and 14065. Validation happens in two steps: 1) project plan validation where predicted GHG emissions reductions are evaluated against the requirements of the Peatland Code and shall determine if implementation of the project plan can be expected to result in the GHG emissions reductions asserted. 2) restoration validation where the actual restoration done is evaluated against the submitted documents at project plan validation. Ref: Peatland Code Guidance note, page 3

Further information:
Andrew Torr
Senior Press Officer, Co-op Press Office
T: 07702505551
E: andrew.torr@coop.co.uk