Pao de Acucar has already taken steps to improve its sustainability programme by recently implementing SAP's cloud tool, Carbon Impact OnDemand. It implemented the tool at the end of 2011 and began to measure its carbon use shortly after.

"The main reason to implement the tool is of course economic, but you have a value change that goes from an economic reason to a sustainable reason. If you do it this way everyone in the business will be engaged," said Bethlem.

"We need to balance our mandatory emissions, such as emissions from our delivery trucks, with voluntary emissions, such as executive travel. We may need to invest more in video conferencing, for example."

He added: "The company won't improve if we don't measure the results and set targets. We need to do this to reduce emissions and expenses, by reducing our use of water, energy and gas."

Pao de Acucar's sustainable development committee is meeting in June to set goals for carbon reduction over the next year. Bethlem said that the SAP tool cost it around £100,000, and the company expects to see a return on the investment within the year.