As we look ahead in 2026, the major sustainability issues haven’t changed but the urgency has. The world is progressing deeper into what the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change calls the “decisive decade”: the critical window in which global action will meaningfully determine the planet’s long-term health. Looking back at the lessons of 2025, it’s clear that the year ahead will demand greater ambition, deeper collaboration, and faster innovation from businesses everywhere.
Climate adaptation and nature-positive strategies will continue to take centre stage. With extreme weather events increasing in frequency and severity and biodiversity loss accelerating, organisations need to invest more heavily in resilient infrastructure, climate-smart supply chains, early-warning technologies, and holistic approaches to protecting ecosystems. TheFarming for the Future programmeis one of Woolworths’ leading initiatives to build climate resilience and restore biodiversity.
Reducing carbon emissions remains essential for long-term climate stability, and Woolworths continues to scale solutions that deliver measurable results. A key part of this work is its partnership with DSV and Everlectric, who operate thefleet of electric vansdelivering customers’ online food orders. These vans have been on the road for the past three years and have saved 840 tonnes of carbon emissions over a combined distance of 4.2-million kilometres.
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Woolworths has also partnered with DP World to introducerefrigeration trailerspowered by AxlePower technology. This system captures kinetic energy generated as the trailer moves and converts it into electricity, allowing the refrigeration unit to run independently of the truck’s diesel engine. The result is a fully electric, emission-free cooling process, improved energy efficiency, and more reliable cold-chain logistics.
To maximise impact, these trailers currently service the retailer’s long-haul routes and in the past year alone, they have helped avoid 102 tonnes* of carbon emissions. Sustainability requires social impact as much as environmental progress. Supporting small, black-owned and black women-owned businesses will remain a core priority as Woolies works to build a more inclusive economy.
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