A Glimpse into the Future of Retail Sustainability
AUGUST 11, 2014
What’s the Future of Retail Sustainability?
Evolving technology, changing supply chain models and consumers empowered with information on retailers’ business practices are all disrupting the industry. But the future of retail lies in sustainability.
The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) will tackle ways retailers can develop their sustainability strategy at its upcoming Retail Sustainability Conference 2014, being held Sept. 29 to Oct. 2 in Minneapolis.
RILA identifies five forces impacting the future of retail sustainability:
• Technology
• Demographics
• Big data and transparency
• New consumption patterns
• Resource constraints
Each has a substantial impact on everyday operations, and retailers’ ability to incorporate sustainability in every aspect of their business—from training employees to supply chain strategies to logistics at brick-and-mortar locations—will differentiate them from competitors and bring greater transparency for consumers.
RILA’s Retail Sustainability Conference includes three tracks, Future of Stores, Future of Products & Value Chains and Future of Consumers & Employees, that will likely explore many of these issues.
Always Looking Forward
We’re looking forward to these discussions, as well as the two sessions Stericycle is sponsoring at the conference. The first, “Developing Compliant & Sustainable Products: Retailer-Manufacturer Collaboration”, will feature a panel of suppliers, retailers, academics and trade association representatives in the home and personal care industries discussing strategies for providing compliant, sustainable products to customers.
The advantages and disadvantages of current systems in place, including retailer-initiated product databases and third party regulatory assessment providers, will be discussed along with ideas for future activities based on manufacturer-supplier cooperation.
The second, “Hazardous Waste Reporting & Data Management from a Continuous Improvement Perspective”, will cover hazardous waste reporting for retailers, which requires a strong program framed by multi-state regulatory knowledge, defensible waste determinations, detailed facility and disposal programs, and robust data management. A program approach reaps continuous improvement benefits, justifying the costs of going beyond “just submitting biennial reports.”
With some of the world’s largest and most innovative retailers such as Walmart, Lowe’s and Gap joining state and federal government compliance agencies at this year’s RILA conference, it’s a can’t miss event as the industry turns to a sustainable yet profitable future.