Jane Mustoe on Turning Sustainability Ambitions into Measurable Outcomes
Jane Mustoe of Tesco explains why technology works best when it starts with a clear problem rather than the tool itself. She shares how Tesco is using AI to optimise delivery routes, saving around 6,000 tonnes of CO₂ a year, and to cut food waste, alongside its low carbon concept farms. She also discusses how the business decides where AI adds the most value, what it has learned about scaling solutions beyond the pilot stage, and why collaboration across the whole food system is essential to driving lasting change.
How can technology help businesses turn sustainability ambitions into measurable outcomes?
Technology works best when it turns ambition into action. So, the starting point is never the technology itself. It's a clear problem and a clear idea of what success looks like.
Once you have that, data and technology can show you where your biggest impacts are, where you can intervene, how to test solutions and, crucially, whether they're working.
At Tesco, sustainability runs through everything we do, and we're as committed as ever to reducing our impact on the planet. The real opportunity is bringing climate, technology, and commercial goals together. The best solutions don't deliver sustainability on its own; they make the business more efficient and more resilient at the same time.
Can you share examples of how Tesco is using technology to reduce its environmental impact?
Technology has supported our operations for years, from supply chain and distribution to stores and online. Our focus is on practical uses that help colleagues and customers. For example:AI now plans our delivery routes, cutting around 100,000 miles a week, roughly 6,000 tonnes of CO₂ a year.
AI helps reduce food waste by flagging products nearing the end of their shelf life for price reductions.
Innovation isn't only digital. Our low-carbon concept farms let us trial more sustainable ways of growing food. In February 2026, 260,000 two-kilogram packs of potatoes from our low-carbon farm went into stores.
Different projects, with the same approach, a defined problem, apply the right innovation and then measure the result.
How do you make sure technology investments deliver real benefits, not just new tools?
Our design principle is people come first. Technology should solve real problems for colleagues and customers, not exist for its own sake.
The same applies to climate action. We need to be clear about the problem and the outcome, whether that's cutting emissions, reducing waste, improving efficiency, or making sustainable choices easier for customers. The solutions that last are the ones that deliver for the planet, for people and for the business at once.
Measurement matters too. We've cut emissions from our own operations by 68% against our 2015/16 baseline, beating our 2025 target of 60%.
So the test isn't have we deployed something new? It's has it made the business better and more sustainable?
AI brings big opportunities but also energy and resource costs. How does Tesco decide where it adds the most value?
AI creates real opportunities, but we have to be thoughtful about where we use it.
We focus on practical applications with a clear benefit, from route optimisation and food waste reduction to more relevant offers and recipe ideas using what’s left in you fridge and cupboards or just the right amount of food ordered for customers.
Where we start is with the outcome, not with where can we use AI? Used selectively and responsibly, it can help us tackle complex climate challenges at a scale and pace we couldn't otherwise reach.
What has Tesco learned about scaling technology-driven solutions, and what's your advice to others?
Tesco is a large, complex business. An idea can work brilliantly in a pilot and still be hard to roll out everywhere. You need to understand the operational reality, involve the people who'll actually use the solution, build it on robust data and stay clear on the outcome.
Partnership is essential. Many of the biggest challenges sit beyond our own operations, in the wider food system. That's why working with farmers, suppliers, innovators, government and civil society is critical to driving real change.
So start with the problem, not the technology, measure what matters and prove the value. Think about scale early. And don't try to solve everything alone, the biggest climate challenges need collaboration across whole value chains.
Technology accelerates progress, but it's the combination of technology, people and partnerships that turns innovation into lasting change.
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