Tesco was presented with a Premier Award in the 1996 Business Commitment to the Environment awards for our total reuse and recycling of transit packaging. The awards were presented by Tony Blair MP. Tesco was also one of the finalists in the retail section of the 1997 National Energy and Environmental Awards. We scored highly in the competition, which is sponsored by the Department of the Environment in conjunction with the National Industrial Fuel Efficiency Service.
Steven Shaw, Technical Director, Head Office
Stores' electricity supplies are passed through special equipment, resulting in greater efficiency, and store managers operate a comprehensive energy checklist, which is completed daily.
Our innovative refrigeration systems have the lowest Total Equivalent Warming Impact (TEWI) measure of any system commercially available. This was acknowledged recently by Tesco winning the 1997 Retail Week award for Environmental Initiative of the Year.
Tesco is committed to playing a positive role in the community. This has been demonstrated through our corporate and store activity over the year.
Tesco Computers for Schools, now in its sixth year, has gone from strength to strength. Schools claimed a total of 5,000 computers through the 1996 scheme, taking the total value of equipment delivered into schools since the scheme began to £29 million.
The 1996 scheme has received support from all political parties with 80 MPs presenting equipment to their local schools. Endorsements came from many politicians including Michael Heseltine, Gillian Shepherd, Paddy Ashdown, Jack Straw and Peter Mandelson. By the end of 1997 we aim to have delivered over 31,000 computers into schools, which equates to one computer for every school in England, Scotland and Wales. The 1997 scheme offers an even wider range of computer hardware and software, together with the opportunity for schools to receive free IT audits to help them collect vouchers for the right equipment, and free IT training sessions.
The Muscular Dystrophy Group has been our Charity of the Year for 1996, and our people from all over the country raised over £1 million. This money will fund the Charity's Family Care Officers, who play a vital role in the care and support of thousands of adults and children with muscle-wasting conditions.
Brigid Burnham, Community Affairs Manager, Head Office, with (from left to right)
Benjamin Fields-Davis, Jessica Craft, Anais Marsac, Max Marsac,
Robyn Edwards and Shreeve Hunt-Myers
The Tesco Charity of the Year for 1997 is Mencap. Money raised will help the Blue Sky Appeal to put in place a new and national network of Family Advisors. This service will provide a network of accessible, high quality family and personal support services in every part of the UK (in Scotland, this will be done through Mencap's sister organisation, Enable).
Donations for national or local community projects are made by the Tesco Charity Trust, which adds 20 per cent to any money raised by staff.
Our staff and customers helped raise £750,000 for this year's Variety Club of Great Britain's Gold Heart Appeal. The money will support projects to benefit disadvantaged and disabled children throughout the UK. Over £160,000 was raised through the Jeans for Genes Appeal when, on March 1 1996, Tesco staff paid £1 each to go to work in their jeans, and special edition Jeans for Genes badges were sold at checkouts. The Appeal will help build a new Gene Therapy Centre within Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital.