THE East of England Co-operative Society has been named as the top independent retailer in East Anglia for taking steps to reduce its carbon emissions.

The Carbon Reduction Commitment Performance League Table puts the society in the top 2% nationally at joint 44th, alongside with the Co-operative Group (a separate organisation) and telecoms giant BT.

More than 2,000 businesses are covered by the league table, and looks at the measures that organisations have taken to manage their carbon footprint.

While Asda was ranked 37th the Co-op was higher its other supermarket rivals including Morrisons (56th), Tesco (93rd), and Sainsburys (164th).

Glyn Lee, energy manager at the East of England Co-operative Society, said: “Being placed so highly in the Carbon Reduction Commitment Performance League Table reflects the society’s commitment to energy and carbon reduction, as well as the hard work of colleagues across the society who have contributed to helping lower our carbon footprint.”

The society, which has committed to reducing its carbon emissions by 3% each year over the five years from January 2010, as part of its Energy Policy, buys all of its electricity from green sources such as wind farms and hydro-electric generators, and when it build new stores, and refurbishes existing ones, uses the latest technology to help reduce energy consumption.

Smart meters have also been installed for gas and electricity at more than 200 Society locations across East Anglia to improve energy management.