Woolworths vs Coles sustainability: what each supermarket published in 2026
by Sustainability Tracker 11/11/2026
Guide, Thought Starters
by Sustainability Tracker 11/11/2026
Guide, Thought Starters
This article was contributed by Sustainability Tracker.
If you’re trying to work out how Woolworths and Coles compare on sustainability, a good place to start is what each company has said about itself. Both supermarkets released their yearly sustainability reports in August 2026. For the first time, both also had to publish climate information under new Australian reporting laws.
We’ve read those reports and pulled out the key facts on climate, electricity, forests, packaging, food waste and animal welfare. Each section shows Woolworths and Coles side by side, with links to the original documents.
Sustainability Tracker doesn’t decide which supermarket is more sustainable. We make the information easy to find so you can decide for yourself. One thing to keep in mind: the two companies often measure things differently, so some numbers can’t be compared directly. We point out where that happens.
| Woolworths | Coles | |
| Long-term climate goal | Net zero across its own operations and its suppliers by 2050 | Net zero across its own operations by 2050, plus shorter-term goals for suppliers |
| Cut in emissions from its own stores, trucks and electricity so far | 45% since 2022–23 | 82.6% since 2019–20 |
| Renewable electricity | 100% since 31 December 2025 | 100% since 2024–25 |
| Deforestation-free promise (from 31 December 2025) | Reports it achieved for paper and timber and for beef from direct suppliers; partway for soy; early stage for palm oil and cocoa | Met for timber, paper, soy and palm oil; not met for beef and cocoa |
| Food donated to charity in 2025–26 | Equivalent of more than 44 million meals (Australia and New Zealand) | 20,479 tonnes |
| Own brand eggs | 100% cage-free shell eggs | 100% cage-free shell eggs and egg ingredients |
| Own brand canned tuna | 100% MSC certified | 100% MSC certified |
| Report checked by an independent firm | Deloitte | EY |
Each company uses its own definitions and starting points. Read the sections below before comparing any two numbers.
Both supermarkets released their main reports in late August 2026, and both included climate information required under Australia’s new mandatory climate reporting laws for the first time.
Woolworths released its 2026 Annual Report on 26 August 2026. Its climate section was checked by the accounting firm Deloitte. Woolworths also published its first Nature Report, a new Impact Report, and in March 2026 launched its 2030 Sustainability Plan.
Coles released its 2026 Sustainability Supplement on 25 August 2026. The accounting firm EY checked it, with a more detailed level of checking on its emissions and energy figures. On the same day Coles published its first Climate Transition Plan, which explains how it plans to cut emissions. Its required climate information sits in its 2026 Annual Report.
Want to know more about the new reporting laws? Read our explainer on Australia’s mandatory climate reporting.
Both supermarkets aim to reach net zero emissions by 2050. Woolworths’ 2050 goal covers its own operations and its supply chain. Coles’ 2050 goal covers its own operations, and it has separate supply chain goals running to 2030.
A quick guide to the terms: emissions from a company’s own operations come from running its stores, warehouses and delivery trucks, and from the electricity it uses. Supply chain emissions come from the farms, factories and transport that produce and move what it sells. For both supermarkets, supply chain emissions are by far the larger share.
Woolworths says in its 2026 Annual Report that, compared with 2022–23 levels, it plans to:
Woolworths says all of these goals were checked by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), an international organisation that assesses whether company climate goals line up with what climate science says is needed. It says it may use high-quality carbon credits from 2050 to cover any emissions it can’t cut. (A carbon credit represents a tonne of emissions avoided or removed somewhere else.)
Coles says in its Climate Transition Plan that it plans to:
Coles says its renewable electricity goal and its 2050 net zero goal haven’t been checked by SBTi. It says it won’t use carbon credits to meet its 2030 goal and plans to use them for leftover emissions under its 2050 goal.
Woolworths reports a 45% cut since 2022–23. Coles reports an 82.6% cut since 2019–20. Because the two figures start from different years, they measure different stretches of time.
Woolworths says in its 2026 Annual Report that switching to renewable electricity at the end of 2025 was the main reason for the drop, and that it is on track for its 2030 goal.
Coles says in its 2026 Sustainability Supplement that the cut came from buying renewable electricity, installing solar panels, saving energy and upgrading refrigeration. It says it hasn’t used carbon credits to get there.
Two ways of counting electricity: the figures above count the renewable electricity each company has paid for. Both companies also report their emissions using the average mix of the power grid. On that basis, Woolworths’ 2025–26 emissions from its own operations were 1.70 million tonnes and Coles’ were 1.26 million tonnes. Counting the renewable electricity they paid for, the figures were 1.07 million tonnes for Woolworths and 0.26 million tonnes for Coles.
Both supermarkets say most of their emissions come from their supply chains, especially farming, and both report that these emissions haven’t started falling yet.
Woolworths reports supply chain emissions of 35.0 million tonnes in 2025–26 in its 2026 Annual Report, which it says is 97% of its total emissions. About half comes from farming and land use. Woolworths says these emissions have risen as the business has grown, and that its figures rely mostly on industry averages, which don’t yet show cuts made by individual suppliers. Seventy-five suppliers took part in its 2026 supplier emissions program.
Coles reports supply chain emissions of 18.98 million tonnes in 2025–26 in its 2026 Sustainability Supplement, more than 90% of its total, with 55.6% from farming and land use. The farming-related emissions covered by its 2030 goal were 1.8% higher than the year before, mainly because customers bought more beef. By year end, suppliers making up 46.9% of Coles’ spending had set science-based goals for their own operations, and Coles says it is not currently on track to reach its 2029 goal.
The two totals cover different businesses (Woolworths’ figure includes New Zealand, BIG W and other companies in the group) and are calculated in different ways. They don’t show which supermarket’s supply chain is larger or higher-emitting.
Both supermarkets say they source 100% renewable electricity for their operations. They back this claim by buying renewable energy certificates and contracts that match the amount of electricity they use.
Like most businesses, both draw power from the grid, which mixes renewable and fossil fuel sources. Each company buys renewable energy certificates equal to its electricity use, then cancels them so no one else can claim the same renewable power.
Woolworths reports reaching 100% renewable electricity across Australia and New Zealand from 31 December 2025, using 351 rooftop solar systems plus renewable energy contracts and certificates. In 2025–26 it cancelled 910,100 certificates in Australia and 142,553 in New Zealand, according to its 2026 Annual Report.
Coles reports reaching 100% renewable electricity in 2024–25 and keeping it in 2025–26, in its 2026 Sustainability Supplement. Its own solar panels produced 2.4% of the electricity it used in 2025–26.
Both supermarkets promised to stop sourcing certain products linked to forest clearing from 31 December 2025. Both report that parts of their supply chains haven’t yet reached that standard.
Woolworths says in its 2026 Nature Report that its No-Deforestation Policy started on 31 December 2025. It covers paper, pulp and timber; palm oil; cocoa; soy in animal feed; and Australian fresh beef. Its progress chart shows deforestation-free sourcing as achieved for paper, pulp and timber, and for fresh beef from its direct suppliers, with soy in animal feed partway there. For palm oil and cocoa, the chart shows deforestation-free sourcing at an early stage, with further progress against an earlier goal of “no net deforestation”. Woolworths describes its current deforestation-free goal as the higher standard, and says its progress on palm oil and cocoa reflects a global shortage of deforestation-free supply. For beef, it says mapping-based risk checks in 2025–26 on the farms and feedlots of the suppliers it buys from directly found no breaches of its policy, and that its rules can’t reach farms further back in the supply chain.
Coles says in its 2026 Sustainability Supplement that it met its deforestation-free goal for timber, paper and pulp, soy and palm oil, and didn’t meet it for beef and cocoa. It says some beef suppliers told it they couldn’t support the goal, and that a delay to new European deforestation laws affected how it planned to check cocoa.
The two supermarkets report different packaging measures, so we’ve set them out side by side without comparing them.
Woolworths reports in its 2026 Annual Report that its own brand plastic packaging contained 31% recycled plastic on average in 2025–26. Soft plastics recycling is now available at more than 700 Woolworths stores, which have processed more than 50 million pieces (415 tonnes) so far.
Coles reports in its 2026 Sustainability Supplement that 87.2% of its own brand packaging was assessed as recyclable in 2025–26 (87.6% the year before), with 28.1% recycled content on average across all of it. It says less than 0.5% of its “problematic and unnecessary” single-use plastic is left to phase out.
Woolworths’ recycled content figure covers plastic packaging only. Coles’ figure covers all own brand packaging materials. Both supermarkets helped set up Soft Plastic Stewardship Australia, a national industry recycling scheme for soft plastics. The ACCC, Australia’s competition regulator, authorised the scheme on 12 November 2025 to run until 4 December 2033.
Both supermarkets donate surplus food to food rescue charities, and both report how much waste they keep out of landfill. They measure these in different ways.
Woolworths reports donating the equivalent of more than 44 million meals in Australia and New Zealand in 2025–26, and keeping 87.5% of its food waste out of landfill, up from 83.5% the year before, in its 2026 Annual Report.
Coles reports donating 20,479 tonnes of food to SecondBite and Foodbank in 2025–26, and keeping 88.2% of all its solid waste out of landfill, in its 2026 Sustainability Supplement.
Woolworths’ landfill figure covers food waste. Coles’ figure covers all solid waste, including packaging and other materials.
Both supermarkets report that all their own brand shell eggs are cage-free and all their own brand canned tuna is MSC certified. The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certifies fisheries against its sustainable fishing standard.
Woolworths reports in its 2026 Nature Report that its own brand shell eggs have been 100% cage-free in Australia and New Zealand since 2022, and 94% of the eggs used as ingredients in its Australian own brand products are cage-free. All its Australian own brand fresh chicken comes from RSPCA Approved farms.
Coles reports in its 2026 Sustainability Supplement that its own brand shell eggs, and the eggs used as ingredients in its own brand products, are 100% cage-free. It also reports receiving its eighth MSC Best Sustainable Seafood Supermarket award in March 2026.
Two independent organisations published findings on both supermarkets in 2026. These are their findings, in their own terms.
Our interpretation: the two reports answer similar questions using different measuring sticks. Before comparing any figure, check:
The original reports are linked throughout this page.
Australia’s climate reporting laws require large companies to say which starting year each of their climate targets is measured from. Each company chooses its own starting year, which is why Woolworths measures from 2022–23 and Coles from 2019–20.
Rules for other topics are still developing. The Australian Government consulted in 2024 on new national packaging rules, and those options are still being worked through. Food waste commitments such as the Australian Food Pact are voluntary agreements. From 1 July 2026, large supermarkets in New South Wales must keep records of their food donations.
The businesses also differ. Woolworths’ figures include New Zealand and BIG W, while Coles operates in Australia only.
Our view: shoppers would benefit from supermarkets reporting the same measures, from the same starting year, in the same way. Until then, the clearest approach is to read each company’s figures on their own terms, which is what this page sets out to help with.
Sustainability reports come out once a year, while green claims on packaging and in ads appear all the time. Our recommendation: look for a specific number, a date and a link to evidence, and check whether a claim covers the whole business or a single product range.
For more on what makes an environmental claim trustworthy under Australian law, read our CEO’s discussion of the ACCC and combatting greenwashing.
You can also see the information we hold on each supermarket: Woolworths on Sustainability Tracker and Coles on Sustainability Tracker.
Yes. Woolworths released its 2026 Annual Report, which includes its climate report, on 26 August 2026. It also published a 2026 Nature Report and Impact Report.
Yes. Coles released its 2026 Sustainability Supplement and its first Climate Transition Plan on 25 August 2026. Its required climate information is in its 2026 Annual Report.
Both say they source 100% renewable electricity by buying renewable energy certificates and contracts that match the electricity they use. Woolworths reached 100% on 31 December 2025. Coles reached it in 2024–25 and kept it in 2025–26.
Woolworths says all its climate goals, including net zero by 2050, were checked by the Science Based Targets initiative. Coles says its 2030 goals for its own operations, farming emissions and suppliers were checked by the same organisation, and its 2050 net zero and renewable electricity goals were not.
Coles says it met its deforestation-free goal for timber, paper, soy and palm oil, and didn’t meet it for beef and cocoa. Woolworths reports it achieved its goal for paper and timber and for beef from its direct suppliers, is partway there for soy, and is at an early stage for palm oil and cocoa.
No. Woolworths measures its 45% cut from 2022–23, and Coles measures its 82.6% cut from 2019–20. The different starting years and business coverage mean the figures describe different time periods and operations.