Membership will allow Fresh & Easy to certify multiple buildings with the LEED rating system using a streamlined process. The LEED affiliation also underscore Tesco's commitment to sustainability. Then, on Sept. 12, Tesco announced that it would work with the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom to establish a Sustainable Consumption Institute that would research climate change and develop initiatives to cut carbon emissions and reduce waste. Tesco, according to a published report, provided the university a grant of ?25 million—or almost $51 million— to run over five years while it conducts research. The LEED announcement came just weeks after Tesco struck a deal with Resource Management Group to design a recycling and waste reduction program to minimize the volume of waste leaving stores and Fresh & Easy's distribution center. Yet, American retailers are putting themselves in position to compete against the strengths Tesco wants to build into its U.S. operation.