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2013 Retail Sustainability ReportF U E L I N G C O N T I N U O U S D E V E L O P M E N T
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Special thanks to our sponsor:
(www.ey.com/climatechange)
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AT A GLANCE
Retail companies sustainability programs are
following a continuous development curve. They
begin by developing programs and practices,
implementing strategies and technologies, andcollaborating internally and externally. These
activities uncover significant business benefits
that fuel further investment in turn. As the retail
sustainability field evolves, a class of top
performers has emergedthose companies that
have defined the development curve for the
industry by embracing the full breadth of
sustainability activities, thereby achieving an
equally wide breadth of benefits.
The respondents to the survey that forms the
basis of this report are retail companies
representing more than 65,000 locations and
$1 trillion in global revenue.
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Letter from the Retail Industry Leaders
Association
On behalf of the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) and our member companies, we are proud to present
RILAs second Retail Sustainability Report. For the past six years, RILA has provided resources to empower,
enhance, and accelerate sustainability activities in the retail industry; research like this report is a cornerstone of
our efforts, and is intended to help companies understand how they compare to others in the industry and where
there are opportunities for improvement.
The objective of this report is only to act as a snapshot of the industrys sustainability programs. Between the
publication of our first Retail Sustainability Reportin January, 2012 and the publication of this report, we havefound that the industry is continuing to drive progress and increase accountability on the most critical issues. Also,
through this report, we want to bring to your attention the significant business benefits retailers have achieved
from their sustainability endeavors, ranging from improved employee loyalty to decreased costs to more resilient
supply chains. As you will see illustrated in the subsequent chapters, these benefits are fueling the continued
development of sustainability programs over time. However, program development does not come without
challenge.
Please use this report to understand the core components of a sustainability program, as well as the innovative
strategies retailers are pursuing. We will continue to publish this report in future years to show how the industry is
progressing on key sustainability indicators.
Sandy KennedyPresident
Deborah WhiteExecutive Vice President and
General Counsel
Adam SiegelVice President,
Sustainability andRetail Operations
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Report Contents
6 About the Retail Industry Leaders Association
7 About This Report
8 Executive Summary: Fueling Continuous Development
11 Managing Sustainability
12 Team and Organizational Structures
16 Investing and Benefiting
19 Prioritizing and Planning
23 Measuring and Reporting
26 Implementing Sustainability
27 Building Operations
31 Supply Chain Operations
35 Stakeholder Engagement
40 Conclusion
41 Appendix: Member Survey
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About the Retail Industry Leaders Association
The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) is the trade association for the worlds largest and most innovative
retail companies. RILA members include more than 200 retailers, product manufacturers, and service suppliers,
which together account for more than $1.5 trillion in annual sales, millions of American jobs, and more than
100,000 stores, manufacturing facilities, and distribution centers domestically and abroad.
The retail industry is proud of its accomplishments and excited to continue to evolve sustainability programs that
drive business value, consumer and employee loyalty, and support a healthier planet. And RILA is excited to
continue to convene the industrys leaders and advance the practices and breadth of business benefits of retail
sustainability programs.
RILAs Retail Sustainability Initiative (RSI) focuses on five topics key to successful retail programs:
1. Energy and greenhouse gas emissions
2. Waste and recycling
3. Products and supply chains
4. Environmental compliance
5. Communicating, reporting, and engaging
RSI engages retail sustainability executives to share best practices, develop new processes, and communicate
their efforts to the industrys most crucial stakeholders. RILA uses its annual conference, benchmark studies,
collaborative partnerships, and research on behalf of retail sustainability interests to achieve the objectives set bythe five sustainability topics listed above.
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About this Report
RILAs first sustainability report, the 2012 Retail Sustainability Report, highlighted the major trends and best
practices within the industry in a case-study format. The report educated the industrys stakeholders about its
sustainability achievements, goals, and challenges by highlighting the specific sustainability activities retailers are
pursuing. The report found that environmental and social considerations are beginning to supplement traditional
measures of competition, including price, service, and quality. We encourage you to reread the 2012 report to
learn more about how these trends are influencing the industrys direction.
As we reflected on the 2012 report and brainstormed about opportunities for improvement, we determined that it
was important to update this years report format to provide a RILA-wide snapshot. The current report effectively
portrays a detailed view of the industrys adoption of sustainability programs. Specifically, we asked the largest
retail companies about the indicators they use to assess the depth and breadth of their sustainability programs.
Equally important to establishing this baseline, we will update this view over time to see how the industry
progresses in the coming years. Will the industrys efforts continue to accelerate? Will sustainability become
integrated into functions across the retail organization or remain a separate and distinct role? Will the scope of
sustainability focus areas continue to grow, or will companies hone their attention? This updated report format will
allow us to answer these questions over time.
We also recognize that it is important to show current trends. Where possible, we asked retailers about where
they see their companys sustainability efforts progressing over the next two years. While we cannot definitively
state that the industry will follow these projections, the trends provide a view of one potential future.
SOURCES OF INFORMATION
This report was developed through two sources: a survey and in-depth interviews. The survey, which can be
found in the Appendix, was disseminated in July of 2012; 35 RILA member retailers responded, representing
more than 65,000 locations and $1 trillion in global revenue. Ten RILA member companies were interviewed and
eight companies served as report advisors.
ERNST & YOUNG INVOLVEMENT
RILA is extremely pleased that Ernst & Young LLP (www.ey.com/climatechange), a global leader in assurance,
tax, and advisory services, supported this RILA effort. Ernst & Young, an organization that is well recognized for
its sustainability leadership, provided RILA with financial and advisory support for the conceptualization and
development of the 2013 Retail Sustainability Report.
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Executive Summary:
Fueling Continuous Development
While developing this report, we listened to the stories, followed the funding, and analyzed the conversations that
have led to the development and subsequent growth of company sustainability programs. From that research, we
recognized that once a company kicks off a sustainability program, the program tends to grow and thrive, even in
the midst of an economic recession. Why? we wondered. Inquiring further, we realized that, while sustainability
programs are initiated in any number of ways, their development and growth hinge on the same key elements as
any other business program. As a sustainability program matures within an organization, its business benefits
become increasingly apparent, and the business applies more funding and resources to it. We also found that a
class of top-performing companies that best exhibits this growth dynamic has emerged in the retail industry.
PROGRAM GROWTH BEGETS FURTHER GROWTH
Implementing systems that promote the expansion of resources, activities, expertise, and benefits of a particular
initiative over time can fuel continuous development. In sustainability, we see that companies who kick off
continuous development processes are growing, not only the amount and breadth of their sustainability-related
activities, but also the business benefits of those activities.
Once an organization overcomes any static friction and forms a sustainability program, success stories within the
organization further solidify the business case for sustainability, and executives take note. With proof of concept
established and the business case validated, senior management warms up to a broader range of potential
activities. Increased confidence and commitment expands the programs resources and allows the scope of
sustainability efforts to broaden.
SUCCESSFUL PROGRAMS FEED THE GROWTH DYNAMIC
We also recognized that the same ingredients are necessary for a
sustainability program to be successful as for any other business
initiative. In particular, five characteristics allow a retailer to effectively
initiate, fuel, and accelerate sustainability programs:
1. Executive engagement. Top executives control a
companys purse strings and make strategic investment
decisions. When they recognize that sustainability is not
necessarily a cost center but rather drives strategic growth
and innovation, there is potential to free up resources and
integrate sustainability priorities into the overall business
strategy.
2. Investment in people and systems. Ultimately it is up to people to develop, lead, and execute any new
business process. A team focused on orchestrating sustainability efforts across an organization can, in
turn, educate and train employees in other functional roles about the importance of sustainability in their
Brea
dth
ofbenefits
Amount of activities
All
Top
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decision making. Similarly, organizations can use investments in information technology such as
environmental management systems (EMSs), reporting platforms, decision tools, and financial calculators
to integrate sustainability planning broadly.
3. Measurement and tracking.The business adage what gets measured gets managed is as true forsustainability as for any other effort. Setting metrics, developing a baseline, and implementing systems to
periodically track and report makes a program accountable its progress. Measurement and tracking also
provide the mechanisms necessary for the company to set goals and tell stories about their efforts.
4. Goal setting. Setting goals is an integral part ofa companys business and sustainability strategies
because the process of goal setting gains buy-in and alignment throughout the organization. To achieve
their goals, retailers must develop strategies to engage both internal functional teams who make the
business decisions and external stakeholders who provide resources, guidance, and services. Also,
announcing goals internally and externally demonstrates a companys commitment to sustainability.
5. Storytelling. Employees of any business constantly tell stories of all kindsfrom the informal anecdote at
the water cooler to those conveyed through boardroom meetings and financial reporting. Stories are acrucial way for ideas, practices, and results to be shared across the enterprise, and they are a component
of every companys decision-making process. Showcasing sustainability opportunities and success
stories through a variety of channels creates an exciting buzz that promotes broader awareness of
activities and shared understanding of how sustainability relates to business objectives.
Properly told, stories can convey the business case for programs or projects that help executives to
prioritize sustainability as a key strategy and provide the impetus for additional investment. But
storytelling should not be confined to those stories told within the company; creatively discussing
company achievements related to sustainability can engage consumers and other stakeholders, driving
consumer loyalty, brand enhancement, access to additional expertise and resources, and more.
Each of these strategies can generate new ideas related to, interest in, and investment for sustainability.
A CLASS OF TOP PERFORMERS IS EMERGING
While developing this report, we recognized that a variety of practices defined a class of top-performing
companies. These top performers are active in a wide range of sustainability-related programsfrom facility
efficiency to supply chain optimization to stakeholder engagementand achieve greater-than-average benefits.
We identified top-performing retailers as those companies who are focusing on a wide breadth of sustainability
issues. Of all the companies we surveyed, eight retailers indicated that they include more than three-quarters of
the facilities, employees, product and supply chains, and stakeholder engagement issues listed below in their
sustainability strategies.
Facilities. What are you working on?
Energy usage Greenhouse gas emissions Water usage
Waste and recycling Green buildings (i.e. LEED, EPA EnergyStar) Land use and development High-efficiency lighting
HVAC retrofitting
Employees. What are you working on?
Store employee engagement Senior management engagement Health and safety practices
Diversity programs Ethics and governance (i.e. board oversight of
sustainability, company ethics policy)
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Stakeholder engagement. What are you working on?
Consumer education Engaging suppliers
Nonprofit / NGO engagement Community engagement
Philanthropic donations Investor relations Government affairs
Product and supply chain. What are you working on?
Measuring life cycle impacts Product design
Materials, including chemicals of concern Packaging design
Manufacturing human rights impacts Manufacturing environmental impacts Sourcing locations (geographic)
Transportation and logistics Product take-back Product use and disposal Plastic bag usage / reduction
Business model innovation
In particular, top-performing companies vary from other retailers in the following ways:
Top-performing companies have sustainability teams that are led by a vice president or someone in a
higher position and average nine team members in size.The teams primary roles are to orchestrate internalefforts, communicate with outside stakeholders, develop strategies, and interact with senior managers. And to do
so, they have set up working relationships across the organization, focusing on public and government relations,
the supply chain, merchandising, facilities, real estate, and construction.
Top-performing companies focus on a wide variety offacility, product lifecycle, and stakeholder management
issues. Facility improvements include waste, energy, green-building design, greenhouse gas emissions, and land
use. Product lifecycle improvements focus on transportation, materials, packaging design, and product take-back.
With regard to these issues, the sustainability team manages the development of a companys strategy and goals,
with input from across the organization, and typically plans their efforts with a five-year strategic horizon.
As the sustainability teams scope of responsibilities and breadth of benefits expand, top-performing companies
are increasing their teams budget. They see a vast array of benefitsfrom their activities, including reducing
costs, managing risks, staying ahead of regulations, and increasing revenues and profits. Risk
management activitiesa crucial function for the success of any retail brandinclude managing reputational
risks, energy and fuel dependencies, human rights risks in the supply chain, and commodity price fluctuations.
To track and report on their performance, top-performing companies measure their energy, material, plastic
bag, and fuel usage; waste generation; greenhouse gas emissions; and supplier code of conduct
compliance. They communicate through many channels, including their corporate website, intranet site, social
media, store signage, the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), and a sustainability report, which is assured
internally.
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Chapter One:
Managing Sustainability
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Team and
Organizational
Structures
A sustainability team is the lifeblood of a
sustainability program. Teams orchestrate
the development of strategies, action plans,
and implementation efforts by working with
a diverse group, both internal and external
to the company. Creating a multidisciplinary
team that focuses on sustainability
performance improvement is the first step
on a path to success within an organization.
KEY FINDINGS
Most companies have full-time
sustainability teams. Teams are
growing, and reporting levels are gainingseniority.
Sustainability teams mainly use their
time to orchestrate internal efforts and
develop strategies.
No single department stands out as
being the champion of retail
sustainability; instead each company
places their team where it can be
most effective.
The sustainability team either manages
or has strong alignment with boththe
environmental regulatory compliance
and social compliance functions.
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WHILE TEAMS GROW, SENIORITY RISES
Of retailers surveyed, nearly two-thirds of companies
have full-time staff dedicated to sustainability. Sixty
percent of companies have part-time staff dedicated
to particular aspects of sustainability.
Figure 1. How is the sustainability staff structured within your
company?
% of top
performers
57
29
14
0
Of the retailers with staff, the full-time team grew on
average from a little less than three to nearly fivepeople between 2009 and 2012.
Figure 2. How many staff members does your company devote to
sustainability?
Staff of top
performers
8.9
10.8
As teams grow, so too does the highest reporting
level of the team manager. Since 2009, 40 percent
of sustainability teams gained new director positions,and 29 percent gained new vice president positions.
As sustainability executives rise in seniority, they
hold more influence and receive greater attention
within the company.
Figure 3. What is the title of the top full-time sustainability leader
at your company?
% of top
performers
20
60
20
0
TEAMS USE THEIR TIME FOR MANY TASKS
All sustainability functions share common tasks.
Together, orchestrating internal efforts and
developing a sustainability strategy account for at
least one-third of working hours. Complying with
federal regulations, interacting with senior
management, reviewing environmental metrics, and
researching best practices collectively make up
another third. While teams are reporting that theyspend less time interacting with suppliers,
respondents say that supplier engagement will
become more important over the next five years.
Figure 4. What percentage of your time is spent on each activity
throughout the year?
% of top
performers
22
12
2
12
3
13
8
8
5
4
6
REPORTING STRUCTURE VARIES
The sustainability team does not typically report to
any single department within retail companies;
instead the reporting structure varies based on anumber of factors. The companys culture, the
department with the biggest opportunity for impact,
and the existing resources and enthusiasm all factor
into the teams location. For example, a retailer that
is primarily focused on supplier engagement may
select the sourcing department as the sustainability
lead, while a company focused on energy efficiency
in its buildings will choose the real estate or facilities
team to lead its sustainability efforts.
Through our surveys Other option, some retailsustainability teams indicated that they report
directly to executive management, whether the
CEO, president, or another top executive. We intend
to solicit this information through the survey more
directly in the future.
0% 20% 40% 60%
Full and part-time
Full-time staff only
Part-time staff only
No full- or part-
Full- and part-time
No sustainability staff
0 2 4 6 8
Full-time
Part-time
2012201120102009
0% 25% 50%
EVP / SVP
Vice president
Senior director
Senior manager
20122011
2010
2009
0% 10% 20% 30%
Orchestrating
Developing strategy
Complying with
Engaging executives
Complying withStakeholder
Researching
Reviewing metrics
Interacting with
Creating public
Completing surveys
Creating internal
Stakeholders commsComplying with local law
Orchestrating internally
Federal compliance
Researching trends
Engaging suppliers
Creating public reports
Creating internal reports
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Figure 5. To what department does the sustainability leader at
your company directly report?
% of top
performers
25
13
0
13
0
0
13
38
RESPONSIBILITIES ARE BROADENING
Expanding a sustainability team also increases its
breadth of responsibility and interaction within the
company. The two most common functions ofsustainability teams are strategic planning and
tactical implementation of sustainability programs.
To guide the strategic direction of their sustainability
programs, teams strategize, set goals, and report on
sustainability initiatives, all while working to engage
both the companys employees and external
stakeholders. This tactical strategy extends to
recycling operations, energy management,
greenhouse gas reduction, and compliance with
environmental regulations.
Specific initiatives vary greatly among retailers. Eachcompany continuously defines and refines its focus
on issues material to its business. For example,
while grocers may focus on sustainable seafood
sourcing, apparel merchandisers find addressing the
working conditions of theirmanufacturers
employees more relevant. Often public awareness
and policy guide these emphases, such as
electronics retailers who find themselves
increasingly invested in growing e-waste recycling
options. However, almost all retailers are uniformly
responsive to such issues as legislation surroundingplastic bags since bag taxes or bans directly impact
a fairly ubiquitous feature of retail shopping.
COMPLIANCE IS THE FOUNDATION OF
A SUSTAINABILITY PROGRAM
The retail industry places significant priority on
compliance with both regulatory requirements for
environment, health, and safety, as well as industry-
developed voluntary compliance to maintain proper
working conditions and human rights throughout the
entire supply chain, from raw material sourcing to
the manufacturing process. Sustainability teams
interact with key internal departments to ensure thatenvironmental and social compliance programs
meet the expectations of all stakeholders.
In retail, environmental compliance considerations
mainly center on regulations from the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency and Department of
Transportation, and state and local jurisdictions.
Specific issues include facility construction and
maintenance like stormwater runoff, employee
health and safety practices, and hazardous product
transportation and waste management.
Retailers environmental compliance programs are
managed between sustainability and environmental
compliance operations, with half of companies
holding both operations in the same department and
the other half in separate departments.
Figure 6. How strong is the alignment between your sustainability
and environmental compliance functions?
% of top
performers
0
4329
29
Of those retailers with environmental compliance in
a separate department from sustainability, the
environmental compliance team is most often
housed under loss prevention, asset protection,
legal, or environmental health and safety. The
teams, while reporting to separate locations within
the organization, frequently coordinate for updates
and strategy alignment. Two of every three retailers
have an environmental compliance team that isdeeply aligned with the companys sustainability
initiatives.
While compliance is a familiar focus area for
retailers, important new issues are always emerging.
Increased awareness of chemicals of concern, as
well as more comprehensive product safety and risk
mitigation, has led to an even broader emphasis on
0% 25% 50%
Public Relations
Human ResourcesLegal
Marketing
Facilities / Real
Merchandising
Supply Chain
Other
Facilities / Real Estate
0% 20% 40%
Same department
Weak alignmentStrong alignment
No env. compliance
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regulatory compliance for those who sell products
with hazardous properties. These teams are
responsible for ensuring that all products posing any
risk are in compliance with appropriate laws.
Social compliance or ethical sourcing can be defined
as a continuous process in which companies refine
their sourcing policies and practices to ensure the
health, safety, well-being, and fundamental rights of
all people employed throughout their supply chain.
Most often focused on in developing countries,
social compliance is driven by ethical
considerations, consumer interest, and
nongovernmental organizations investigating the
working conditions of laborers throughout the supply
chain.
Suppliers and retailers adhere to social
accountability standards, whether self-imposed or
legal, within their social compliance objectives. To
do so, companies create and implement ethical
sourcing policies and practices that extend beyond
their own organization into their product supply
chains, both domestically and abroad. Consumer
product manufacturers with well-recognized brand
names will often have their own ethical sourcing
policies and practices independent of the retailers
they sell to; therefore, retail companies typically
focus their ethical sourcing efforts on their private-
label products.
Over the past few decades, companies have
continued to develop new strategies to educate,train, and ensureoften through facility auditsthat
their supply chain partners are making products
under conditions that meet their standards. Those
standards are often documented and codified in
supplier codes of conduct, which are written and
enforced individually or collectively through industry
associations.
Nearly two out of three retailers report that their
social compliance teams, like environmental
compliance teams, are strongly aligned with their
sustainability teams. Almost 80 percent managesocial compliance operations in a separate
department, most commonly with the merchandising,
legal, public relations, or supply chain groups. These
groups, often with direct visibility to the supply chain,
can be most effective in ensuring compliance to
vendors codes of conduct. However, in recent
years, the convergence of environmental
sustainability and social compliance functions has
begun to paint a complete picture of suppliers
environmental and social impacts.
PRACTICES OF TOP-PERFORMING COMPANIES
DIMENSION TOP TRAIT(S)
Top sustainability leader Vice president or aboveSize of sustainability team Average of nine team membersResident departments forpart-time sustainability reports
Public and government relations, supply chain, merchandising, andfacilities, real estate, and construction
How the sustainability leadspends his or her day
Orchestrating internal efforts, communicating with stakeholderorganizations, developing strategy, and interacting with senior managers
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Investing and
Benefiting
All companies must rank their priorities
based on their strategic importance and
business benefits and allot them proper
funding and resources. When it comes to
sustainability, the costs of certain projects
whether efficiency upgrades, process
changes, consumer education, employee
training, or otherwiseand the direct
resource savings are both quite tangible.
However, the additional benefits can be
even more significant than simply lower
costs. Sustainability can increase brand
loyalty and employee productivity and
retention, mitigate risk, improve community
relations, and more. Therefore, investment
in sustainability must weigh the direct costs
and savings with a host of benefits, even
those that are difficult to measure.
KEY FINDINGS
Most companies sustainability
budgets are remaining the same.
Most companies act on sustainability
investments that they expect to generate
a two- to three-year payback.
Companies see the primary benefits of
sustainability as reduced costs, brand
enhancement, and risk management.
Sustainability programs target themanagement of reputational risks and
energy and fuel price risks.
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INVESTMENT MODELS
Developing a strong business case for sustainability
programs remains an important objective for
companies. Retailers most commonly seek a return
on investment for sustainability projects that issimilar to all other investments. Across the industry,
the average minimum payback period for a
sustainability project is two to three years. Top
performers, however, plan with a longer time
horizon, and most often look for paybacks as far out
as three to five years.
Many companies expressed that projects with
environmental and/or social benefits often have a
host of ancillary benefits that may difficult to quantify
in the direct payback calculations. Programs mustalso anticipate other factors like shareholder
interests, future consumer or regulatory trends, or
potential risks to properly finance sustainability-
related projects.
Figure 7. Generally, what is the minimum payback a capital
improvement project related to sustainability must show before
being approved?
% of top
performers
13
25
38
0
13
0
PRIMARY BENEFITS
Retailers are reporting five primary benefits of
sustainability programs: reduced costs, enhanced
reputation, risk management, employee enthusiasm,
and proactive regulatory strategies. On average,
top-performing companies recognize a wealth of
benefits that extend to increased revenues and
profits.
Nearly 90 percent of respondents mentioned that
their sustainability efforts are lowering costs,
primarily by improving business and resource
efficiency. Increasing the store, distribution center,
and trucking fleets energy and fuel efficiency are
only a few examples that translate to lower costs.
Reducing waste is another; it lowers costs and can
even generate new revenue streams. Finally,
partnering with suppliers may uncover resource
efficiencies that also translate to lower costs,
whether by reducing energy, water, material, orwaste. (Refer to the supply chain operations section
for a thorough discussion of supplier collaboration
around sustainability.)
Figure 8. In which of the following ways have your sustainability
activities proven to be beneficial?
% of top
performers
100
100
100
63
88
75
75
88
88
75
50
Beyond lowered costs, brand enhancement and risk
mitigation are also crucial benefits. Seventy-one
percent of companies report that they use
sustainability activities to benefit their organization inthose ways.
A retailers corporate brand is among its most valued
assets. Retailers invest a significant amount of
resources to enhance their brands with consumers,
government, and other key stakeholders. Doing so
keeps the companys brand at the top of consumers
minds when they are deciding where to shop, and it
builds trust in the communities in which retailers
operate. So, it is not surprising that retailers
recognize the corporate reputational rewards that
sustainability brings.
Risk mitigation, or seeking to protect the brands
reputation, is another crucial business objective for
retail. Retailers manage risks like brand reputation,
energy and fuel dependencies, human rights issues
in the supply chain, and commodity price
fluctuations through their sustainability programs.
0% 10% 20% 30% 40%
2-3 years
1-2 years
3-5 years
6 months to a year
No minimum
More than 5 years
No minimum required
0% 50% 100%
Reduced costs
Brand
Risk management
Employee
Stay ahead of
New sources of
Satisfy
Increased revenue
Increased profits
Satisfy consumer
Enter new markets
Employee enthusiasm
Stay ahead of regs
New innovations
Satisfy consumer demand
Brand enhancement
Satisfy stakeholders
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Figure 9. What risks to your business are you explicitly
addressing through sustainability initiatives?
% of top
performers
100
75
75
75
25
38
38
Fostering employee enthusiasm for recycling,
philanthropy, volunteerism in the community, and
team building through meaningful projects are also
benefits. Sustainability projects can give employees
a sense of personal pride and fulfillment, which
improves retention, draws in the best new talent,
and promotes interdepartmental collaboration.
Companies will often develop individual or industry
voluntary programs to reduce the need for
government regulations. If a retail company
minimizes its waste generation, energy and fuel
usage, land-use footprint, and other environmental
impacts, and strives to improve the labor conditions
of the workers across its product supply chains, it
will have a competitive advantage when regulations
are developed. Recent federal regulations requirecompanies to track the origin of forest products
through their supply chains and to publicly report on
the potential for the sourcing of certain conflict
minerals in their products. California legislation
requires companies to report on certain human
rights performance standards in supply chain. And
municipalities are updating building codes to reduce
the burden on local energy and landfill infrastructure.
Companies that proactively address these issues will
be positioned to succeed when other such
regulations emerge. Top performers especially
recognize this advantage.
SUSTAINABILITY BUDGET
Sustainability budgets reflect company priorities.
Many retailers report that their most recent budget
for sustainability activities will not change for this
year. However, more than a quarter of companies
expect to grow their budget in the coming year.
Figure 10. Did your sustainability budget increase, decrease, or
remain the same for 2012?
% of top
performers
38
0
25
25
Furthermore, most companies report that
sustainability continues to become more important to
their organization. Nearly three out of every four
respondents say so, while no company says that
sustainability is becoming less important.
Figure 11. Is the importance of sustainability increasing,
decreasing, or remaining the same at your company?
% of top
performers
100
0
0
PRACTICES OF TOP-PERFORMING COMPANIES
DIMENSION TOP TRAIT(S)
Sustainability budget Increasing budgetProject payback threshold Three- to five-year paybackBenefits of sustainability programs Reduced costs, increased risk management, staying ahead of
regulations, increased revenues, and increased profitsRisk mitigation Addresses risks related to reputation, energy and fuel dependency,
human rights issues in the supply chain, and commodity pricefluctuations
0% 50% 100%
Reputational risks
Energy / fuelSupply chain
Commodity price
Drop in employee
Financial instability
Weather
Commodity fluctuations
Factory human rightsEnergy dependencies
Employee recruiting
Weather conditions
0% 25% 50%
Increased in 2012
Decreased in 2012
Remained the same
No dedicatedNo dedicated budget
0% 50% 100%
Increasing
Decreasing
Remaining the sameRemaining the same
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Prioritizing and
Planning
Prioritizing, planning, executing, and
evaluating are crucial phases to the success
of every companys program. Since the
breadth of opportunities for sustainabilityprograms is extensive, it is more important
than ever to properly set priorities and plan
for the long term. Doing so will ensure that
companies are pursuing the opportunities
with the greatest impact given the
resources. When implemented correctly,
these strategies have a significant payoff.
The return may be in terms of measured
lowered costs like reduced energy usage or
intangible benefits like brand enhancementor a more engaged workforce.
KEY FINDINGS
Sustainability functions will increase in
scope significantly over the next two
years.
Setting goals is an important
component of a sustainability strategy.
The typical planning horizon for
sustainability strategies is five years.
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BROADENING EFFORTS
Each companys definition ofsustainability reflects
its business, customers, and long-term strategy.
However, most retailers are pursuing a core set of
sustainability functions. More than 90 percent of
respondent companies are pursuing waste
reduction, energy reduction, and community
engagement initiatives.
Notably, companies indicate that a number of
sustainability priorities will grow significantly over the
next two years. Those priorities that are expected to
receive attention from 20 percent more companies
within two years include water usage; manufacturingenvironmental and human rights impacts; business
model innovation; product design, use, take-back,
and lifecycle impact measurement; government
affairs; customer education; and investor relations.
We defined top-performing companies as those
retailers who prioritize over three-quarters of the
issues related to their facilities (Figure 12), products
and supply chains (Figure 13), employees (Figure
14), and community (Figure 15) in their sustainability
strategies. Nearly all of the top-performing
companies are engaged in all aspects of facilities
improvement. All of them also define sustainability to
include ethics and governance issues. Within their
supply chains, they are all focusing on improving theenvironmental performance of their product
transportation and on using fewer plastic bags and
chemicals of concern. And they all engage their
communities, suppliers, and partner NGOs through
their sustainability programs.
While every company develops its program in a
different way, retailers follow a typical progression.
They first tackle store, distribution center, and
transportation performance, specifically with regard
to waste, energy, and fuel reduction. These
environmentally beneficial activities generate easilyquantifiable financial benefits and quick returns.
Next, retailers engage employees and the outside
stakeholders necessary for a comprehensive
program. The companies that are making the most
progress around sustainability are focusing on issue
areas like product development and supply chain
management. These may include, for example,
ecological assessments in cotton mills, sustainability
audits in foreign factories, or increased use of
recyclable materials in products.
Figure 12. Facilities - what are/will you work on?
% of top
performers
100
100
100
100
75
88
Figure 13. Products - what are/will you work on?
% of top
performers
100
100
88
88
75
63
75
6375
50
50
20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Waste and recycling
Energy usage
Green buildings
Greenhouse gas
Water usage
Land use and
Now
2 years
GHG emissions
Land use
20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Transportation
Chemicals of
Packaging design
Product take-back
Manufacturing
Product design
Factory labor
Sourcing locationsProduct use and
Business innovation
Measuring life cycleNow
2 years
Chemicals of concern
Factory labor conditions
Manu. env. impacts
Product use & disposal
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Figure 14. Internal organization - what are/will you work on?
% of top
performers
100
88
88
100
88
Figure 15. Stakeholder engagement - what are/will you work on?
% of top
performers
100
88
100
100
88
88
88
PLANNING AND SETTING GOALS
For any business initiative, companies must plan
their activities up to a certain horizon. One third of
retailers report that they typically plan their
sustainability activities five years in advance, and
another third plan for four year or fewer.
Figure 16. What is your sustainability strategic planning horizon?
% of top
performers
0
0
13
0
50
25
Retailers often see tangible sustainability goals asan integral part of their business and sustainability
strategy because the process of setting goals will
gain buy-in and alignment throughout their
organization. The sustainability team facilitates
nearly 60 percent of corporate sustainability goals,
and most often the team develops them with a five-
year horizon in mind.
Figure 17. What is your companys process for formulating your
corporate sustainability goals?
% of top
performers63
13
38
25
To achieve their goals, retailers must develop
strategies to engage both internal functional teams
(those who make the business decisions) and
external stakeholders (those who provide resources,
guidance, and services).
The areas and rigor for setting goals depend on the
retailer. Some are motivated to reduce greenhouse
gas emissions, water use, or waste, while others
look beyond operations to supplier engagement.
Some retailers set their sights on absolute reduction,
while others pursue normalized improvements.
Some set ambitious and aspirational goals with only
minimal up front research on how they might be able
to achieve those goals, while others set analytically
derived goals, ensuring they have a roadmap to
success before launching. Some goals are public
promoting awareness and accountabilitywhile
others are only announced internally.
Table 1. Types of sustainability goalsGOAL TYPE EXAMPLE PURPOSE
Ambitious Become carbonneutral
Aspirational andinspirational
Grounded Reduce waste by15 percent by 2015
Can develop aroadmap to achieve
Normalized Reduce packagingby 25 percent perproduct sold
Achievable andincorporatescompany growth
Absolute Reduce carbonemissions by 20million metric tons
Makesenvironmentalbenefit explicit
Not surprisingly, the most commonly reported type of
goal among retailers relate to reducing energyusage and/or greenhouse gas emissions. Those are
the focal points of most early sustainability programs
because of their tangible, quantifiable savings.
Through the process of setting or achieving energy
reduction goals, companies realize the potential for
goals in other areas like waste reduction, product
sourcing, and supply chain management.
20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Executive
Store employee
Health and safety
Ethics and
Diversity programs
Now2 yearsStore engagement
Executive engagement
Health & safety
Ethics & governance
20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Community
Philanthropic
Engaging suppliersNGO engagement
Government affairs
Consumer
Investor relations
Now
2 years
Engaging communities
Philanthropic donations
Consumer education
0% 25% 50%
1 year
2 years
3 years
4 years
5 years
6+ years
0% 20% 40% 60% 80%
Sustainability team
No sustainability
C suite
Functional
No sustainability goals
Functional dept(s)
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Table 2. Stakeholders necessary to engage for each goal type
GOAL TYPE EXAMPLEINTERNALSTAKEHOLDERS
EXAMPLEEXTERNALSTAKEHOLDERS
Reduce
energy use
Facilities, real
estate, and energyprocurement
Landlords, utilities,
and serviceprovidersReducewaste
Facilities, realestate, and storeemployees
Landlords, wastehaulers, anddistributors
Managesupplychain
Procurement,sourcing, logistics,and product design
Suppliers,transportationservices, andwholesalers
Engage thecommunity
Store employees,community affairs,andcommunications
Local nonprofitsand city servicedepartments
PRACTICES OF TOP-PERFORMING COMPANIES
DIMENSION TOP TRAIT(S)
Facility focus areas Reducing energy usage, land use and develop impacts from construction,and waste creation, and promoting green-building design
Internal programs Senior management engagement, ethics and governance, store employeeengagement, diversity programs, and health and safety programs
Product and supply chainprograms
Transportation efficiency, plastic bag reduction, materials management(including chemicals of concern), packaging design, and product take-back
Stakeholder engagementprograms
Suppliers, NGOs, and community engagement
Goals Set by sustainability teamStrategic planning horizon Five-year horizon
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Measuring and
ReportingIn order to track and report on the progress
of sustainability programs, relevant financial,
environmental, and social metrics must be
selected. As with all business programs,
measurement can be used to hold
organizations and individuals accountable.
When corporate sustainability goals are set,
metrics and milestones are used to track
progress in areas like energy or wastereduction or percent of suppliers in
compliance with a companys code of
conduct.
Furthermore, external interest in corporate
sustainability performance has fueled the
need for more accurate measurement and
reporting methods. Doing so allows
companies to open dialogues with their
customers, communities, investors, and
suppliers, making their strategies known
and strengthening trust in their brand.
KEY FINDINGS
Most retailers measureenergy, fuel,
material usage, and waste generation.
More than 25 percent more retailers will
begin to measure code of conduct
compliance, water usage, suppliers
audited for social compliance,
renewable energy generation, andchemicals of concern over the next
two years.
Companies communicate their
sustainability plans and performance
through websites, intranet sites, and
annual sustainability reports.
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MEASURING KEY SUSTAINABILITY METRICS
The adage what gets measured gets managed is
as true for sustainability as it is for all corporate
initiative. And given that retailers focus first on their
own operations, it is not surprising that the threemost commonly tracked metricsfacility energy
consumption, transportation fuel usage for private or
third-party fleets, and waste volumesrepresent the
impacts of company buildings and trucking fleets.
These metrics ensure that operational issues are
managed and that company managers are held
accountable for their performance.
While companies will continue to track these three
metrics over time, nearly every company will be
tracking the 11 key metrics identified in the survey
by 2015. Water usage, suppliers audited, renewable
energy generated, and chemicals of concern will see
a significant uptick in measurement over the next
five yearsfrom 50 percent or fewer of companies
tracking them now to more than 70 percent by 2015.
Notably, most top-performing companies are already
tracking the majority of these metrics. Retailers use
this breadth of data to trace improvements in their
operations and examine the effectiveness of their
operational and supply chain strategies.
Figure 18. What sustainability metrics does or wil l your companymeasure?
% of top
performers
100
88
88
100
88
100
88
75
88
75
25
Internal measurements are most often reported
across an organization on an annual basis and are
reviewed by the sustainability team and other
relevant functional departments. As teams track the
progression of their programs, they are able to make
adjustments to their strategies to ensure success.
ACTIVE SPEAKERS FOR ACTIVE LISTENERS
As retailers continue to integrate sustainabilitymeasures into operations, they are also more
creative in their communication strategies.
Achievements in sustainability can engage
consumers and other stakeholders, driving demand
for products that are healthier, safer, and more
environmentally friendly, as well as interest in
companies that have strong sustainability programs.
In turn, that demand can drive sales and investment,
simultaneously elevating the value of internal
sustainability efforts and creating a need for even
more stakeholder communicationsfueling avirtuous cycle.
Figure 19. Growth cycle for sustainability messaging
Retailers access a variety of channels to reach their
customers, employees, and other stakeholders.
Many choose to highlight their efforts publicly on
websites and privately through employee-onlyintranet sites. Sustainability reports and social media
are also common information outlets. Nearly half of
companies report to investor groups through
mechanisms like the Carbon Disclosure Project
(CDP) and Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI).
Few companies are communicating sustainability
through television or radio, though the use of those
0% 50% 100%
Energy usage
Fuel usage
Waste generation
Material recycled
Greenhouse gas
Plastic bag usage
Code of conduct
Water usage
Suppliers audited
Renewable energy
Chemicals inNow
2 years
Supplier CoC compliance
Social compliance audits
Chemicals of concern
GHG emissions
Sustainabilitymessaging
Stakeholderinterest and
demand
Sales ofsustainable
products
Sustainabilityactivities
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channels is expected to rise more than threefold
over the next five years.
Figure 20. How do/will you communicate your sustainability
efforts?
% of top
performers
100
100
63
100
88
75
75
88
75
13
THE EMERGENCE OF THE REPORT
Investors, consumers, and other stakeholders are
becoming more sophisticated at evaluating
companies efforts. To respond to the need for
increased transparency, companies publicly share
goals, strategies, milestones, and progress updates
with stakeholders in the form of an annual report and
on their website. These reports go by a variety of
names, including corporate social responsibility
(CSR) report, corporate sustainability report, or aseparately branded document.
Figure 21. How often does/will your company produce or update
your Sustainability Report?
% of top
performers
0
0
50
0
50
While about two-thirds of companies currently
produce reports, by 2015 nearly 95 percent are
expected to be reporting on sustainability issues.
Most retailers reporting now, including the top
performers, are publishing reports on an annualbasis. Reports can be a point of pride for retailers,
prompting key stakeholders like employees,
executives, investors, customers, and suppliers to
join in the conversation. They typically cover
relevant financial information extracted from investor
reports, as well as the companys environmental and
social objectives and performance. These reports,
often using the Global Reporting Initiatives (GRI)
reporting guidelines as a framework, also provide an
organizational profile, governance indicators,
management approaches, and more.
Currently, the data reported in a sustainability report
can be difficult to gather, since it resides in many
parts of a business and lacks a common system to
account for it. Therefore, most companies focus on
gathering the data internally in a format that they can
use for consistent reporting. As internal accounting
systems become more sophisticated and industries
develop and adopt data standards, data accuracy
will become increasingly important. While more than
60 percent of companies currently assure the
accuracy of sustainability reports internally, external
assurance will double in the next two years.
Figure 22. How does/will your company seek assurance on
sustainability metrics?
% of top
performers
88
50
PRACTICES OF TOP-PERFORMING COMPANIES
DIMENSION TOP TRAIT(S)
Metrics being tracked internally Energy use, volume of materials used, plastic baguse, fuel use, waste generation, greenhouse gasemissions, and supplier code of conduct compliance
Communication methods Website, intranet site, social media outlets, storesignage, and CDP report
Reporting assurance Mainly internal assurance with a trend to externalassurance
0% 50% 100%
Company website
Intranet site
Report
Social media
Store signage
Print media
Product labels
Reporting (CDP)
Answering surveys
TV or radioNow
2 years
Reports to investors
TV or radio
0% 50% 100%
Monthly
Quarterly
Annually
Every two years
Not producingNow
2 yearsNot producing report
0% 50% 100%
Internal assurance
External assurance
Now
2 years
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Chapter Two:Implementing Sustainability
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Building Operations
Retail stores and distribution centers vary
significantly in size, design, and location, but
they all have one thing in common: there
are significant opportunities to cut expenses
by reducing energy and carbon use and
waste production. New technologies
promote energy management and accurate
tracking of energy use. Store employees
and consumers are becoming ever more
conscious about sustainability, especially as
it relates to recycling.
Implementing recycling, energy
management, and other sustainability
initiatives in retail facilities have benefits
beyond cutting costswhen done well, they
also generate profits and improve the
comfort, indoor air quality, employee
productivity, and customer experience in the
store.
KEY FINDINGS
Waste and energy reduction are the
top facility-related improvements
retailers are undertaking.
Green-building practices and
management of greenhouse gas
emissions and water use will grow
significantly over the next two years.
Green leases can unlock waste-
reduction and energy-saving
opportunities.
The highest impact energy-efficient
upgrades include lighting, HVAC
(heating, ventilation, and air-
conditioning) systems, and refrigeration
units.
Waste and energy reduction
initiativesin stores and distribution
centers energize retail employees.
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MeasurementOpportunityidentification
Execution
RECYCLING AND WASTE MANAGEMENT
Figure 23. Facilities - what are/will you work on?
% of top
performers
100100
100
100
75
88
Retail stores generate a host of material wastes,
mainly from product packaging for transportation.
Transportation packaging plays the crucial function
of keeping the product safe through transportation
and consists of materials including cardboard,shrink-wrap, mixed paper, plastic, scrap metal,
aluminum, wood and plastic pallets, organic
materials, and more. Minimizing retail waste requires
economical recycling or reuse options for these
material commodities.
Waste reduction efforts begin with analyzing waste
streams to identify the most prevalent commodities
and then developing an action plan that accounts for
regional hauling costs and commodity values.
Ultimately, upstream reduction effortsnamely to
redesign products and packaging to incorporatefewer materials or less material volumewill further
reduce hauling needs, saving truck space and
lowering costs related to waste.
Nearly all surveyed companies are currently
improving their environmental performance by
reducing waste and increasing recycling. In fact,
more companies have founded recycling initiatives
than energy reduction initiatives. Recycling at stores
reduces costs and engages the store employees
some of its biggest advocates. Most companiesmeasure or estimate the amount of waste they
generate and the volume of material they recycle.
Setting waste reduction goals is another useful tactic
to align the organization and demonstrate the
companys commitment to these goals to its
business partners and employees alike. Reducing
energy use and greenhouse gas emissions and
waste are the two types of goals retailers most often
set. Specific commitments range from reducing
waste by 25 percent by 2015 to aspirational goals
like sending no (zero) waste to landfills.
ENERGY IMPROVEMENTS
Stores mainly use energy for lighting, heating,
cooling, and, in the case of grocers, refrigeration.
Since each of these functions affects the shopping
experience, it is crucial to reflect on the customers
perspective when determining how to upgrade
energy systems. However, there are significant
opportunities for energy reductionand saving costs
and mitigating greenhouse gas emissionsthrough
efficiency measures and renewable energy
development that can also enhance a customersexperience.
Tools:
Submeter Smart meter EMS
Criteria:
Cost-benefitanalysis
Relevance tostakeholders
Benefit tocustomers
Internal partners:
Facilities Real estate Operations
Construction
Reducing energy use begins with measuring it. Most
companies are currently measuring or estimating
their energy usage. To do so accurately requires
direct access to energy meterswhich are
occasionally unavailable in leased spacesand
systems to track monthly energy use. Companies
use an EMS to track and analyze energy
consumption, allowing them to compare stores to
determine the best- and worst-performing locations.
This analysis often requires that the company
consider different store designs and local weather
profiles. Some EMSs also have the capability to
control store lighting, temperature, and other
systems.
Companies then identify the highest payback
opportunities for energy-efficient retrofits. Most
retailers focus on high-efficiency lighting systems
20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Waste and recyclingEnergy usage
Green buildings
Greenhouse gas
Water usage
Land use and
Now
2 years
GHG emissions
Land use
Figure 24. Energy-saving progression
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like LED (light-emitting diode) bulbs with significantly
improved lifetimes and energy performance; motion
sensors and other automation systems to control the
artificial lighting, depending on the outside
conditions; as well as retrofitting HVAC systems.Incorporating daylighting (mainly through skylights)
saves energy and improves the customer
experience in stores. Retailers with grocery
operations have upgraded food refrigeration
systems to improve efficiency while recognizing
customer and employee usage trends.
Beyond efficiency, a growing trend is to generate
renewable electricity onsite or purchase green
power from a third-party generator. Solar power is
the most common form of onsite renewable power,
mainly because retailers operate stores anddistribution centers with large rooftops. Some
companies are testing onsite wind power, either with
microturbines on store roofs or larger turbines
located at distribution centers. Sourcing renewable
energy allows retailers to offset electricity bills and
meet carbon emissions-reduction goals.
Similar to reducing waste, companies are setting
goals to reduce energy use and greenhouse gas
emissions. Some goals are aimed at improving the
per-square-foot performance over time, while others
seek to obtain absolute reductions.
DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION
Selecting a site is the first step toward opening a
new store. Sites are selected based on a number of
criteria, including proximity to specific customer
demographics and related stores, lease cost,
building type, availability of parking and alternative
transportation, and more. Once they have selected a
store location, retailers will either contract with third-
parties or work with their own in-house teams to
design and construct stores from the ground up or
build out existing spaces. Because new locations
are only profitable once their doors are open, it is
extremely important that the time to design and build
a new space is minimized. Therefore, companies
develop store-design prototypes, which they use as
a basis for the development or build out of their new
spaces.
Interior space build outs require the installation of
electrical wiring and lighting fixtures, space heating
and cooling, and refrigeration for food products. In
addition to these features, new buildings may also
require parking spaces and access to transit,stormwater management, and landscaping. When
developing a new site, there are numerous
opportunities to implement green technologies and
processes, such as building on brownfield sites,
using recycled, certified-sustainable building
materials, or recycling construction wastes. Some
companies may choose to install solar panels when
they move into the space as well.
Depending on their goals, retailers may follow
green-building standards like the U.S. Green
Building Councils (USGBC) for Leadership inEnergy and Environmental Design (LEED)
framework. The Commercial Interior (LEED-CI) and
LEED for Retail certifications are particularly relevant
for retail stores. Also, the LEED Volume Program is
especially valuable for retailers, since it allows
companies to streamline the certification of
numerous building projects.
GREEN LEASING
While it may seem that retail brands control their
waste operations and energy performance,oftentimes changes in these operations require
partnerships with landlords, utility companies, waste
haulers, and other business partners who manage
the retailers buildings and infrastructure. Retailers in
leased locations, like malls or shopping centers,
must interact with their landlords for certain
operational improvements.
Green leasing presents an opportunity for retailers
and their landlords to make improvements that can
reduce operating costs. The definition and
implementation of these leases vary across the
United States and by company, but lease provisions
that foster reduction of energy use and waste
creation will become more common as the influence
of certifications like LEED or ENERGY STAR (a joint
program of the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy)
increase in public recognition. While every lease is
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different, leases that incorporate green provisions
will typically address the issues shown in Table 3.
Table 3. Components of a retail green lease
IMPROVEMENTDIMENSION
PURPOSE
1. Improve basebuilding efficiency
Improve the energy, water, andwaste efficiency of the base building,including the common areas.Includes insulation, windows,rooftops, parking lots, etc.
2. Align incentives Develop financing and paymentmechanisms that encourage eachparty to reduce energy and wateruse and waste.
3. Improve tenantspace
Support the resource efficiency of atenants space, consistent with thepremises requirements if available.Includes tenant build out and
operation.4. Make resourceuse moretransparent
Make energy and water use andwaste generation visible to bothparties.
5. Clarify accessto and control ofkey spaces
Define which party(ies) will haveaccess to important spaces like therooftop and who has the control toimplement capital projects such asrooftop solar units in those spaces.
The most common obstacle that retailers and
landlords typically face is that of aligning the
financial incentives between the parties to reduce
energy use in stores and common spaces. To
address that need, New York City and otherorganizations have developed the Energy Aligned
Clause, a publicly available provision that property
owners can conveniently insert into leases that
allows the developer to recuperate energy-retrofit
costs through savings in tenant energy use. Such
lease language is immediately beneficial to both the
retailer and the developer. Another common
obstacle that retailers and landlords face is that of
defining who has access to and control of key areas
on the premises like the rooftop or parking lots.
Defining in which instances the retailer has access
to the facilitys roof allows them to more easily installrooftop solar units.
Few retail companies are currently addressing green
leasing in a holistic way, but many are beginning to
focus on one or more of the aspects mentioned
above. We expect to see both retailers and landlords
integrate more green provisions into their contracts
over the next couple years.
PRACTICES OF TOP-PERFORMING COMPANIES
DIMENSION TOP TRAIT(S)Facility improvements Reducing waste generation, energy use, greenhouse
gas emissions, and land use and designing facilitiesaccording to green-building standards
Programs to reduce waste generation Redesigning products and packaging and developingrecycling programs, occasionally with backhaulingcapabilities
Programs to reduce energy use Retrofitting lighting, HVAC, and refrigeration systems tomake them more efficient
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Supply Chain
Operations
The consumer product supply chain is an
extensive and complex global network.
Supply chains span countries and cultures.
And retails greatest environmental impacts
and social performance challenges are in its
supply chain.
Therefore, true sustainability is achieved byintegrating it throughout the product supply
chain. Retailers have many opportunities to
improve business performance in the supply
chain. Through incentives, training
programs, and collaborative projects,
suppliers and retailers have begun to
integrate sustainability into the supply chain,
leading to benefits like stronger retail-
supplier relationships, lower transportation
costs, greater transparency, and mitigated
risks and costs.
KEY FINDINGS
Supply chain improvements have
focused on transportation, materials
including chemicals of concern, and
packaging design. Managing all
aspects of the product life cycle, from
design through use and disposal will
become increasingly prevalent practices
over the next two years. Transparency into the social and
environmental impacts of product
supply chains is a growing practice.
Risk mitigation is a major benefit of
supply chain sustainability programs.
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DRIVING SUPPLY CHAIN EFFICIENCIES
Retailers recognize that managing the complete life
cycle of the products they sell is a valuable
competency to leverage as their sustainability efforts
progress. Doing so helps them identify opportunitiesto cut costs and innovate products as well as
potential business and supply risks.
Retailers can intervene in their product supply
chains to achieve business and environmental
benefits. Not surprisingly, transportation and
logistics top the list of current activities that retailers
have long focused on. Other product lifecycle issues
that more than half of companies are addressing
include reviewing materials of concern in products,
packaging design, product take-back, andmanufacturings environmental impacts.
Figure 25. Products - what are/will you work on?
% of top
performers
100
100
88
88
75
63
75
63
75
50
50
MANAGING THE FULL PRODUCT LIFE CYCLE
Retailers are at different stages on the road to
managing the full lifecycle impacts of the products
they sell. However, it is important to note that four
out of five retailers who responded to our survey
intend to engage in nearly all aspects of productsupply chain sustainability within the next five years:
from product and packaging design (including
measuring lifecycle impacts and chemicals of
concern) to sourcing, manufacture (environmental
and human rights impacts), transportation, sale, and
product use and disposal (take-back options).
Design is the first stage in any products life.
Considerations like product size, ingredients or
materials, function, energy usage specifications,
packaging, recyclability, etc., influence the future
impacts associated with the manufacture, transport,use, and disposal of that product. Therefore,
designing products with an eye to environmental
efficiencyand cost savings and product
innovationis crucial. To do so first requires
alignment within the company, including involvement
from the merchandising, sourcing, and product
design teams and then partnerships with suppliers.
While only 48 percent of retailers report that they are
currently designing products with the environment in
mind, that figure is expected to increase to more
than 80 percent in two years.
Lifecycle analysis (LCA) is a key tool for assessing
the lifecycle impacts of products. LCAs account for
the raw materials, manufacturing processes,
transportation, and typical use and disposal of
products to calculate the impact of products across
the full supply chain. Using LCAs uncovers supply
chain inefficiencies, innovative design and
manufacturing techniques, and potential supply
risks. Measuring lifecycle product impacts is
expected to grow threefold from 23 percent today to
77 percent in five years.
Manufacturing operations are complex and global.
Retailers work diligently to partner with suppliers and
manufacturers to ensure that products are produced
in factories with the highest quality working
conditions, proper health and safety features, and
ecologically-efficient production capabilities.
Components and finished goods are then
transported across the globe. Transportation
accounts for a small but important component of
product cost and greenhouse gas emissions fromthe burning of fuel. Retailers who pursue
transportation sustainability have experienced
measurable savings by optimizing fleet efficiency
through local sourcing, smart packing methods,
route optimization, mode optimization, technology
implementation, and setting goals. The recent surge
in popularity of online retail shopping makes
transportation improvements even more important
20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Transportation
Chemicals of
Packaging design
Product take-back
Manufacturing
Product design
Factory labor
Sourcing locations
Product use and
Business innovation
Measuring life cycleNow
2 years
Chemicals of concern
Factory labor conditions
Manu. env. impacts
Product use & disposal
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as traditional retailers look to streamline costs and
maintain store inventory.
At some point, consumers determine that they no
longer need a product. In any locale, there are oftenmultiple ways to dispose of unwanted products:
donating, selling, recycling, and disposing are the
most common. Some retailers have voluntarily
developed customer recycling centers in stores
where their capabilities, store footprint, and staffing
allow for it and where the business can benefit from
it. Some companies even provide incentives, such
as cash or a gift card, for consumers to bring back
their used goods for recycling. These incentive
programs drive additional traffic and shopping trips
to the store and spur sales of new items. Also, some
of the products returned are still valuableas fullyfunctioning items or scrap materialsand retailers
can reroute these products to offset costs or even
open a new revenue stream.
INCREASING SUPPLY CHAIN TRANSPARENCY
New media sources and increased access to
information throughout the world have allowed
communication to be easier and faster. Additionally,
certain regulations require public disclosure of social
and environmental impacts throughout the supply
chain, such as conflict minerals, human rights, andlogging practices. These changes have led to a
global trend toward increased transparency within
the supply chain.
Questionnaires, scorecards, audits, and LCAs are
simply some of the basic tools used to increase
visibility within the supply chain. Long-term
strategies include certifications, product traceability,
supplier management training, data sharing, and
more.
Transparency efforts pay dividends. From the
standpoint of consumers, retailers expand their
loyalty base when customers trust retailers and
recognize their efforts, even when they make
mistakes. And when operations are transparent,
retailers and suppliers alike can more easily identify
opportunities to improve performance and can
develop plans to reduce costs or supply chain risks.
However, it is also challenging for retailerswho sell
many thousands of products, each with its own
unique environmental and social footprintto gather
accurate product and sourcing data. Manufacturers
energy, water, material, and ingredient usage is
often thought of as proprietary information, meaningthat they are unwilling to share it. Furthermore,
current data systems and processes struggle to
reach through the whole supply chain to the farms,
mines, raw material sources, and numerous
organizations involved, making it difficult to assess
the impact of complete product life cycles and effect
change.
MANAGING SUPPLY CHAIN RISK
The global recession has made companies more
susceptible to market and supply chain risks. Tomaintain the health of their brands, retailers are
working to manage and mitigate sustainability-
related risks such as those related to reputation,
agricultural output, commodity prices, resource
availability, and the possibility of regulations.
Because retailers care about factory labor conditions
and because media organizations are quick to
identify labor concerns in manufacturing facilities,
companies pursue risk management and
sustainability efforts in order to ensure positive
relations with their suppliers, consumers, and otherstakeholders. Sharing success stories about
sustainability efforts not only mitigates certain public
scrutiny, but it also promotes a positive brand image.
However, companies must be careful with their
external messages, as public reporting exposes
companies to additional accountability. Since much
of a retail companys value lies in the value of its
brand, retailers recognize the importance of
proactively mitigating reputational risks.
Agriculture is the foundation of many supply chains,
from apparel to food. With the increase in extreme
weather events like droughts, fires, and storms,
agricultural-based supply chains will become
increasingly volatile and difficult to manage. Water
conservation, commodity efficiency (for cotton, grain,
and fuel, for example), and other measures can be
used as a hedge against increasingly severe
weather conditions.
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And as the public continues to recognize the
importance of environmental stewardship and
human rights in supply chains, they will advocate for
stricter controls on global supply chains. Retailers
are proactive about these issues, ensuring that they
have a solid understanding, where possible, of the
materials they use to make their products, where
those materials come from, and how they are made.
PRACTICES OF TOP-PERFORMING COMPANIES
DIMENSION TOP TRAITS
Supply chain sustainability performance Focus on transportation, materials including chemicalsof concern, packaging design, and product take-back
Supply chain goal setting Set goals for supplier engagement, supplier carbonreduction, or other performance improvements
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Stakeholder
Engagement
Retail companies connect the global goods
marketplace and local communities. While
their businesses may operate worldwide
and their products are sourced globally,retailers bring employment, economic
vitality, and a cultural foundation to the local
neighborhoods in which they operate. To
weigh these diverse and far-reaching
priorities, retailers build bridges to a broad
set of stakeholders, beginning with
shareholders, employees, and customers
and extending to governments, nonprofits,
academic institutions, and local community
organizations.
KEY FINDINGS
Companies are strategically engaging
their stakeholders in the ways that are
most relevant for each.
Pressure for retail sustainability efforts
is strongest from employees,
competitors, and regulators.
Companies can educate consumers
through a variety of channels.
Collaboration is becoming imperative
for effective sustainability action.
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MEETING EVOLVING STAKEHOLDER NEEDS
Because of the breadth of benefits that sustainability
programs provide to companies, it is often difficult to
pinpoint a single reason a retailer begins a particular
program. However, it is clear that companies oftenfound sustainability programs because of one or
more relevant stakeholders evolving needs.
Employees, competitors, and government are the
top three stakeholders driving retailers to strengthen
their sustainability programs.
Figure 26. Order the stakeholders who are applying the pressure
to increase sustainability activities (1 = strongest pressure)
Rank - top
performers
4.5
4.4
5.1
4.0
5.3
3.9
4.6
ENGAGING THE MOST RELEVANT ISSUES
Retailers are able to engage their many
stakeholders through a variety of channels. An
effective stakeholder engagement strategy focuses
on the issues most relevantor materialto thatstakeholder.
Table 4. Engagement topics for key stakeholders
EXAMPLESTAKEHOLDER
TYPICAL ENGAGEMENT TOPICS
Employees Corporate or store green teams,educational sessions, in-store recycling
Competitors Benchmarking against competitors,collaboration on key topics
Government Voluntary partnerships and regulatoryobligations
Customers Green products, product labels, andmarketing
Investors Sustainability reporting and risk disclosure
NGOs Supply chain engagement and chemicals ofconcern
DEVELOPING EMPLOYEE PROGRAMS
Retails own employees are often their toughest
critics. Many store employees, especially younger
ones, seem enthusiastic about sustainability and are
the first to promote the benefits of reducing energy
use, creating less waste, and engaging with
suppliers and in philanthropy. And an engaged
workforce leads to improved productivity, increased
retention, and great new ideas to fuel the business.
Numerous companies cite employees both as the
biggest driver and as the most importantbeneficiaries of sustainability programs.
Achieving sustainability goals requires collaboration
across many departments. Two-thirds