the-BA : Supermarket challenge

According to research commissioned by the BA, over 20 per cent of the public do not use energy-saving light bulbs because they believe the cost of the bulbs outweighs any benefits. That is why, as part of National Science Week, we issued a challenge to the five major supermarket chains – Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and Waitrose – to reduce the price of their energy-saving bulbs during National Science Week.

‘Our research has shown that more than 1 in 4 adults do not use energy saving bulbs,’ says Roland Jackson, Chief Executive of the BA, which coordinates National Science Week. ‘Given the power that supermarkets wield in influencing what people buy, we believe that they are crucial in getting shoppers to switch to energy-saving light bulbs and that is why we challenged the leading supermarkets to reduce their price for National Science Week.’

Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and Waitrose (and its parent company John Lewis) have all responded positively, running in-store promotions during National Science Week.

‘We are delighted to have received such a positive response from these supermarkets,’ says Dr Jackson. ‘We hope that the increase in uptake of energy-saving bulbs nationwide will encourage the supermarkets to consider reducing the price of the bulbs on a permanent basis.’

Response from the supermarkets

Julius Brinkworth, Group Energy Manager at Sainsbury’s
‘Saving energy at home will lessen the impact of global climate change and we are keen to support opportunities to highlight this important issue. Our customers care deeply about the environment, so we are delighted to work together with the BA to offer them incentives to save money and, at the same time, minimise their impact on global climate change.’
Nick Trestrail, Senior Buyer at Morrisons
‘At Morrisons, we are asking our customers to make a small pledge towards reducing the amount of carbon dioxide emissions and help make a big difference to climate change. We are extremely pleased to be working with the British Association for the Advancement of Science to reduce the price of our Philips energy saving lightbulbs to 99p Buy One Get One Free throughout National Science Week.

‘Having sold over 1,000,000 energy-saving light bulbs in 2006 alone our customers have already cut down carbon dioxide emissions by over 400 tonnes. This shows that our customers can clearly make a difference!’
Nick Monger-Godfrey, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility, John Lewis & Waitrose
‘John Lewis and Waitrose are delighted to support National Science Week. We recognise that in today’s climate, with rising energy prices and concerns over global warming, it is as important as ever for all of us to carefully manage our energy efficiency. Even small changes can make a huge difference, and we are happy to support the campaign by offering a Buy One Get one Free promotion on energy saving light bulbs in Waitrose throughout the week.’

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