Greggs to open its first 'eco-shop' in 2022

Greggs is planning to open its first 'eco-shop' in 2022 as part of its ongoing sustainability drive.

The launch is part of the company's commitment to the Greggs Pledge, an annual sustainability report that aligns itself with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals, which the company launched in February 2021.

The template for an 'eco-shop', which will provide a testing-ground for further environmentally friendly initiatives, was created last year.

Greggs aims to have opened a further 250 stores with ‘eco-shop elements' by the end of 2022, and to have implemented the scheme across 25% of its branches by 2025.

Other 2022 targets include: ensuring that at least 30% of all new Greggs products can be considered healthier options, reducing the amount of food waste created in manufacturing operations by an additional 10%, and increasing food redistribution by a further 10%.

This follows an evaluation of the progress made in 2021, which reported that 32% of Greggs products could be considered healthier options, the ratio of manufacturing waste to sales had been reduced by 31%, and 28% of all unsold food in shops was redistributed.

Roger Whiteside, Greggs chief executive said: "As a business we have a strong sense of responsibility to do the right thing for our people, customers, suppliers and communities and to lead positive change.

"The Greggs Pledge sets out our ambition to deliver this and our work towards achieving this commitment in the past year has helped us to grow into a stronger and better business.

"Although there is still work to be done, with our clear plan for the next year I believe we are well-placed to meet our ambitious targets for 2025 and beyond, as our business continues to grow and evolve and we work together to make the world a better place."

Read the full Greggs Pledge here.