Introduction

HDE and the "Large Retailers and Retail Chains Committee"
For over 80 years the Confederation of German Retail e.V. ("Hauptverband des Deutschen Einzelhandels " HDE") has been the leading economic umbrella organisation of the German retail trade. It represents the interests of some 400,000 independent enterprises, which employ 2.7 million people and have a combined yearly turnover of approximately 400 billion euros. The retail sector is in fact the third largest economic sector in Germany after industry and the crafts. The HDE has 100,000 member companies of all sizes and from all sectors and locations, with a combined turnover of 250 billion euros per year.

Retail chains and large retailers which are members of the HDE have set up an active working group within the HDE to discuss important national and European issues of topical interest. A number of members of the Working Group and other companies have decided to publicise their commitment to climate protection and illustrate it with examples. The result is the impressive brochure "Living Climate Protection " Retail & Energy Efficiency".

In order to give interested readers an overview of the wide range of activities and issues addressed by the retail sector, the examples presented in the brochure have been grouped under four main headings: "Transport and logistics", "Buildings and locations", "Product range and consumers" and "Renewable energies". The retail sector has examined its entire supply chain with a view to identifying energy saving potentials and alternative solutions. The majority of companies are already implementing, as standard practice, many of the initiatives and measures mentioned below. In addition, individual projects that are particularly innovative or set new standards are listed for each of the four areas covered by the brochure.

In the present publication, the HDE clearly shows how competently and consistently its members contribute to climate protection and energy efficiency.

A tradition of good energy management
For years, the efficient use of energy has been an integral part of the day-to-day management of retail enterprises. In fact, environmental awareness is extremely high in the German retail sector. If only for reasons of economy, companies monitor and regulate their electricity consumption. Moreover, the number of voluntary environmental protection measures and projects requiring substantial investments is increasing continuously. In this connection, it should be noted that not all measures contributing to higher energy efficiency and hence to climate protection are being documented and communicated on a systematic basis. However, companies are increasingly keen to publicise " through their websites as well as through press releases and in their sustainability reports " their efforts in the area of research and implementation of energy saving potentials.

Climate change as an economic challenge
Since the EU Summit held in March 2007 under the German Presidency " if not before ", a reduction of CO2 emissions and increased energy efficiency in the economy and society at large are at the centre of environmental policy.

At national level, in December 2007 the German Government enacted a first package of laws, regulations and other measures to lay the foundations for the integrated energy and climate-protection policy adopted in August 2007. A further package is due to be presented on in May 2008. Both sets of measures aim to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases by 40 % in comparison with 1990 levels.

One key aim of the revised Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) and the Renewable Energies Heat Act (EEWärmeG) is to promote further development of renewable energy sources. The EEG lays down the framework conditions for the supply, transmission and distribution of electricity from renewable energy sources and covers the area of heat production from biomass, solar energy and geothermal sources. The German government has set itself the target of a 25-30 % increase in the share of renewable energies in total electricity consumption by 2020.

In January 2008 the European Commission presented a number of Draft Directives to achieve, at European level, the energy and climate protection targets agreed on last year. In the Directives, the Commission proposes, among other measures, introducing legally binding national targets for the development of renewable energies.

In order to increase the share of renewable energy in the overall European energy mix to 20 % by 2020, Member States have to implement differing quotas. These range from 10 % for Malta to 49 % for Sweden. Germany is expected to increase its share of renewable energies to 18 % by the target date.

Europe wants to achieve a 20 % reduction in CO2 emissions by 2020 in comparison with 1990. If the forthcoming international climate negotiations are successful, the figure could be as high as 30 %.

Retail enterprises contribute to climate protection on a voluntary basis
From the point of view of the retail sector, any legal or policy measures, whether they are taken at national or European level, must be economically viable and based on the "polluter-pays-principle", and must also take into account the capacities of those concerned.

Moreover, policy measures must leave companies enough leeway to develop tailor-made solutions according to their individual needs, including business imperatives.

As the third largest economic sector in Germany, the retail sector is determined to do its share with decisiveness and creativity in order to reach the ambitious targets that have been set.

Retail supply
Retail enterprises have to offer fresh food produce and state-of-the-art consumer goods through many distribution channels to increasingly demanding customers. Every single article must be transported by producers to the point of sale and offered to every potential customer. Coordinating supply routes, storage capacities and means of transport for this purpose involves daunting logistic challenges. Over 400,000 retail enterprises in Germany, comprising up to 10,000 branches per company, have to shoulder continuously rising energy prices. Without electricity and fuel, the retail sector would collapse " and with it the basic supply of goods to the population.

Retail enterprises in Germany keep pace with technological developments and are already operating at such an energy-efficient level that any further energy savings are only possible to a certain degree. This distinguishes the German retail trade from other competitors in the EU. In the last few months, commerce enterprises in other EU Member States have set themselves ambitious targets and are publicising, e.g. CO2 savings of 50 %. In view of the diverse and voluntary measures and initiatives already implemented in Germany, its starting position is already considerably better than that of other European countries. Furthermore, German companies are bound by national environmental standards and regulations " for instance, in the area of recycling and waste management " which are often stricter than those enforced at European level. Nevertheless, there is still significant potential for innovation in the German commerce sector " whether in the area of advanced technology, energy management systems or renewable energies.