Retailers Have a Voice in Sustainability

Posted on 08. May, 2009 by Bernice Paul in Living

RetailBC, representing the province’s $49-billion-plus retail sector, recently held a “Passion for Retail” conference to explore the question: Can retailers save the world? Amidst a recession and ever-increasing customer demands for cheaper, better and more sustainable goods, it’s a question that I initially dismissed as rhetorical fluff. But in the end it has pushed me to think about the role retailers could play.

As candidly described by the president of RetailBC’s member organization, Mark Startup, retailers’ big fear is that their business model, which is predicated upon making more and selling more, appears to be in jeopardy. Today’s eco-savvy customers almost wear as a badge of pride their commitment to sustainability by reusing, recycling – and, in the process, shopping less overall.

Peter Robsinson gave the opening talk, and as usual he articulated beautifully the brutal and honest truths that we think but are probably afraid to say. Sustainability in business, for retailers especially, cuts across what you do, what you sell and how you build relationships across your supply chain. Operational efficiency is a no-brainer, according to Robinson, because this is where financial gains are made. (And obviously, most companies are already doing that – if not, they are simply lazy or stupid or both.) But the next layers of sustainability are increasingly complex and I have some trouble seeing the lines between them. Or maybe those lines overlap and that’s that.

Are some products inherently unsustainable? How do we define what is and isn’t harmful? Harmful to whom, or what?
Take for example a bottle of Fiji Water. I’ve read about the company’s efforts to reduce its carbon footprint, to save rainforests and to use less packaging. I’ve read about its commitment to the Fijian communities where it operates and contributes to economic development locally. All very good… but what about the product itself? I continue to have a hard time accepting that bottled water, in any kind of package, including one with built-in monetary contributions to charity, can ever be defined as a sustainable product.

Maybe this is a new can of worms being opened, maybe not. I left the conference feeling encouraged though, because retailers are starting to understand that they have a voice in the sustainability movement. They have the power to change the way we shop.

Tags: RetailBC, Shopping

About the Author

Bernice Paul

Sustainability/Environment Bernice Paul is a sustainability thinker with a background in environmental chemistry and forensic science. Follow her on twitter @bernicepaul.

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4 Responses to “Retailers Have a Voice in Sustainability”

Julien

08. May, 2009

But then what exactly can retailers do? Pressure their suppliers into designing their products in a more sustainable way? There is so much pressure they can apply, as this approach is realistic only when the resulting product is either cheaper or of equal cost (but with potential green advertising value). If greening the supply chain means more costly products, demand may (or may not, but which retailer would take that chance?) mechanically decrease. Of course, this is a simplistic analysis which should be done on a case-by-case basis but it still highlights a basic fact: our current economic model is not aligned with the biosphere’s processes.
And that’s not encouraging… but the very idea of dumping this crazy societal model of ours is very inspiring.
Bernice Paul

12. May, 2009

Hi Julien,
Your point about our current economic model is well-taken. Greening the supply chain is definitely only one piece of the puzzle (and a spiraling piece, the more you dig…) As Peter Robinson pointed out, it’s also the retail products themselves that must be addressed. In other words, what the heck are we buying in the first place? And when we buy, are we paying the real price? Probably not. It will take a long time to undo the way we have learned to think about ‘deals’ and ’sales’.
Sonja Kennedy

14. May, 2009

Hi Bernice,

Thanks for your post – and I’m glad you enjoyed the conference. Julien, your comments are very timely and exactly the kinds of things discussed at the conference. The information being presented is that there is a need for change – wholesale or not, and there are things retailers of any size can do. There are now retailers who not only view their business as a means of encouraging consumption, but as a platform to equip consumers with long lasting, quality products that would help guard against increased consumption. Yes, there were also more questions raised than answered, which is often the case in tackling issues such as these. But the main point is that they were raised at all, new can of worms or not, the can needs to be opened. What is heartening is in the feedback survey from the conference, 70% of respondents stated that what they learned has inspired them to make changes in their business. Now that’s worth it, and shows the heart of leaders in the retail industry!
Dai Manuel

16. May, 2009

Great blog post, Bernice!

I was fortunate to be able to attend this event as well as the original Retail Sustainability Summit hosted by DIG360 and RetailBC several months ago. As a retailer I find myself very curious about how an organization such as ourselves can get involved in the sustainability movement. Many of the speakers were instrumental in evoking the conversation between myself and key management personnel at Fitness Town. We are excited about the possibilities and the positive impact we can in turn have in the communities we conduct our business.

The future is certainly looking “greener”

Again, thank you for the great post. Look forward to meeting you at future Retail BC events.