Flipkart Becomes First Indian Ecommerce Co To Commit To 100% Renewable Electricity By 2030

Ecommerce major Flipkart on Thursday (December 22) announced that it has committed to sourcing 100% of its electricity needs from renewable sources for its entire operations by 2030.

In a statement, Flipkart said that the move is in alignment with its net zero commitments to reduce the Scope1 and 2 climate change impacts by 2030. Besides, it builds on the ecommerce entity’s existing action, with Flipkart already meeting 14% of its electricity requirements from renewable sources against the baseline consumption of 2021, it added.

The company also said that it is the first Indian ecommerce company to make such a commitment.

The group is starting the RE100 journey with committed efforts to add renewable energy (RE) portfolio from distributed as well as grid-scale projects. Flipkart said it is looking forward to achieving the target through collective responsibility and collaboration, and also plans to connect with policymakers and various state governments.

“For the Flipkart Group, it has been a concerted priority to integrate sustainable practices across its operations. In the past two years, we have made consistent efforts and have expressed our unwavering intent to tackle climate change with bold ambition and decisive action and we continue to do so,” Rajneesh Kumar, chief corporate affairs officer at Flipkart, said.

“Being the first Indian e-commerce group to commit to 100% renewable electricity by 2030 and to join RE100, Flipkart looks forward to working in collaboration with this global cohort of influential companies, led by Climate Group,” Kumar added.

RE100 is a global initiative bringing together influential businesses committed to 100% renewable electricity. Led by non-profit Climate Group, in partnership with CDP, it aims to drive change towards 100% renewable grids, both through direct investments of the members and by working with policymakers to accelerate the transition to a clean economy.

The initiative has over 370 members, ranging from household brands to critical infrastructure and heavy industry suppliers.

Many ecommerce players globally have taken several initiatives to minimise the overall impact of their operations on the environment through initiatives such as environment-friendly packaging, changes in last mile delivery to reduce carbon footprint, among others.

In 2020, Flipkart committed to a phased integration of electric vehicles (EVs) into its entire delivery fleet by 2030. The company is a member of Climate Group’s EV100 initiative to achieve this goal.

According to a 2022 research report by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), the global ecommerce sector is capable of electrifying 100% of its delivery operations.

According to an Inc42 report, India’s ecommerce market is estimated to reach a size of $400 Bn by 2030 from $100 Bn currently. The total number of online shoppers in the country is projected to rise to 350 Mn by 2025 from 165 Mn currently.