BSR Insight | Four Key Sustainability Trends in Retail
The Retail Industry Leaders Association’s first sustainability report on the industry’s environmental, social, and community impacts features company case studies and identifies four key trends:
- Partnerships matter: Accelerating progress on energy reduction, sustainable product improvements, proper supplier labor conditions, and more requires working with nonprofits, academics, and governments as well as suppliers, customers, investors, vendors, and communities.
- Sustainability can lead to growth: Recognizing sustainability as an opportunity—not just a cost- or risk-reduction measure—can encourage innovation, differentiate the company, and spur new product and market development.
- Improvement requires systems: Continuous improvement means developing management, measurement, and IT systems for environmental impacts, supplier scorecards and management training, employee training and engagement, energy- and waste-reduction goals, and sustainability reporting.
- Transparency is critical: Disclosing activities, strategies, goals, challenges, and data can help companies formalize their sustainability efforts, increase public accountability, and engage in dialogue with stakeholders.
Topics
Community Engagement & Development, Consumer Products, Environment, Reporting & Communications, Stakeholder Relations, Strategy & Integration, Supply Chain
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