Retail



Executive Summary

Because of its broad reach, the retail sector has the potential to effect significant change in society in a way that no other industry can. Virtually all Canadians are impacted by retail, whether by our weekly trip to the food store, or to fashion stores, home furnishings stores, the corner convenience store, or the country general store. Retail is perhaps the greatest purveyor of culture in Canada, as it is in most countries around the world. With more than 1.2 billion square feet of space in Canada and sales of $425 billion in 2008, there is no doubt about the size and importance of this sector. Corporately, retailers can define environmentally oriented purchasing requirements; they can educate consumers at the store level; they are the gatekeepers for goods and services consumers are offered. Thus retailers have the ability to influence behaviour and consumption patterns on many levels. The initial Greening Retail study, published in 2006, showed that Canadian retailers and their suppliers were responsible for over 40 million tonnes of carbon emissions, 6 million tonnes of waste annually, and millions of kilometres traveled by trucks, rail and air delivering merchandise from around the world to every corner of Canada.

Introduction

The retail sector is perhaps the greatest purveyor of culture in Canada, as it is in most countries around the world. Virtually all Canadians are impacted by retail, whether by our weekly visit to food stores, to fashion stores, home furnishings stores, the corner convenience store, or the country general store. Retailers communicate through the Internet, television, newspapers, social media, magazines, radio, shop windows and word-of-mouth, making it the most extensive of any communication and distribution network in our society. In the initial Greening Retail study, published in 2006, we identified the extent of the environmental footprint of Canadian retailers and their suppliers. Over 40 million tonnes of greenhouse gases are released annually (Newmark 2011).

Millions of tonnes of waste are sent to landfill, and millions of kilometres are travelled by ship, truck, railcar and airplane as merchandise is delivered from companies around the world to stores in every corner of the country. Retailers are increasingly becoming aware of their environmental impact and taking action. Corporately, retailers can define environmentally oriented purchasing requirements and, at the store level, they can educate consumers. Retail businesses act as the gatekeeper for the goods and services offered to consumers and, as such, have the ability to influence behaviour and consumption patterns. With over 1.2 billion square feet of space in Canada and sales of $425 billion in 2008, there is no doubt about the size and importance of this sector. Retailers can make a difference (McLaughlin 2012).

With consumers demanding environmental responsibility, coupled with the findings of our ongoing research that there is a significant positive ROI in adopting sustainable practices, the stars should be aligned and the road clear for retailers. One of the barriers to adopting environmental best practices is that one size does not fit all, and successful strategies vary from one ...