Retailers have significant potential to affect change in society like no other industry, as they are located in a key position between suppliers and consumers. On the one hand, being in direct contact with consumers, they exert significant influence on what products consumers want to buy, and how they use and dispose them. On the other hand, they reach out to suppliers worldwide. In a way, they act as gatekeepers determining which goods and services to be offered and how they should be produced.
With this in mind, the CSCP has the mission of clearly illustrating retailers the opportunities behind sustainable consumption and production (SCP) strategies. The first publication, namely the Retailers Calendar is planned as a practical guide for retailers to help them locate priority issues.
The Retailers Calendar encompasses the most important aspects of a retailer’s business – including in-shop procedures, supply-side aspects, and product sales issues. Using case studies, indicative examples and practical advice, the Calendar aims to steer retailers toward environmentally friendly practices within a reasonable time-frame. It aims to incorporate everyday business concerns – such as profitability, cost-effectiveness, customer relations, brand value enhancement and timeliness – into the guide to make it user-friendly and realistic.
The manual is targeted at a wide scope of retailers from the developed and developing countries. The type of retailers ranges from well-established extensive chain-store operations to medium-scale businesses with a particular focus on businesses in the food, infor-mation and communication technology, do-it-yourself, car retail and textile sectors.
The guideline manual for retailers towards sustainable consumption and production consist of 12 steps – one for each month. The starting point is to present a business case for sustainability, including financial opportunities and risks, as well as to overview the process of prioritisation given the limited resources available. The subsequent chapters address the in-house operations of the retailer, such as management of water, energy and waste; the Retailer’s supply-side relationships; and the product sales and product utilisation issues on the demand-side. The concluding part concentrates on the methods to communicate sus-tainable actions to the Retailers’ stakeholders – namely, consumers, suppliers and regulatory bodies – to receive recognition.
It is designed as a complement to UNEP’s recently completed guide for retailers, "Greening Shops and Saving Costs – A Practical Guide for Retailers," which analyses financial and other opportunities for retailers in acting sustainably.
Retailers operations are increasingly complex, multi-faceted and international structures. They act as intermediaries between producers and final consumers, and many have the power to exert influence along the entire vertical chain, everything from the manufacturing process to consumers’ purchasing decisions.
CSCP has conducted a study analysing the way retailers use Modern Information Technologies (MIT) to communicate sustainability issues to the consumers. The retailer can utilise several main methods, including: in-store communication techniques, such as placement of products, set up of displays, use of packaging and personal selling; and beyond the store communications, such as advertising and direct marketing. The study identifies several MITs. Some are already familiar, like the Internet and in-store TV screens. Others are still being tested, such as Interactive Screens using Radio Frequency Identification Data technology, in-store Information Kiosks, virtual Personal Shopping Assistants and inventive use of Mobile technology. While the cost-effectiveness of some MITs is still unclear, the array of innovative techniques is impressive, offering promising possibilities in future consumer communications.
Please contact Burcu Tuncer at the e-mail address: burcu.tuncer@scp-centre.org
