Environmental Sustainability

“Going green” is officially mainstream. Topics such as global climate change, environmental migration, and the growth of islands of trash that fill our oceans are constant fuel for the news cycle. Consumers everywhere are becoming more cognizant of how their everyday purchase decisions can adversely impact the natural world, whether this means shopping for products…

An in-depth study of consumer perceptions and behaviors surrounding sustainable packaging in the UK and U.S.

The North Face said this week that it will close its global headquarters and its 113 stores in the U.S. and Canada on Earth Day, April 22. The action is part of a campaign to make Earth Day an officially recognized holiday. The VF Corp.-owned brand said closing its doors on Earth Day will provide its employees ample opportunity…

Amazon.com announced Monday its goal to make 50 percent of all its shipments net zero carbon by 2030. This goal aids the company's efforts towards achieving project "Shipment Zero," which focuses on a long-term goal to make all of its shipments carbon neutral. Amazon has been taking more steps to reduce its overall carbon footprint, and has…

We now live in a commerce environment where we quite literally can have any product whim fulfilled, and in many cases, in our hands the same or next day, at the enticing price of free. And why shouldn’t we? Amazon’s Prime Now, UberRush and Instacart make bold promises of delivery within hours of order placement. Well, possibly, we might be well advised to consider the longer term implications.

For many retail organizations, sustainability remains a financial hurdle to overcome rather than a solution to cut costs. Retailers face an uphill battle to increase already razor-thin profit margins amidst a rapidly changing industry, and, as a result, sustainability has taken a back seat for some. The following three tips will encourage retailers to rethink their business strategy and put sustainability to work for the bottom line:

The prevalence of e-commerce giants has completely changed consumer buying expectations. Apparel, fashion and retail companies are all feeling the effects of the shift toward unified commerce and the pressure to deliver on consumer demands. Going beyond shipping, fulfillment and customer experience, consumers are looking closely at how a product is made, and making purchase decisions…

REI announced this week stricter rules for its product suppliers. The Seattle Times reports suppliers that can’t or won’t meet REI requirements in areas such as manufacturing labor safety and fairness, chemical usage, environmental impact, and animal welfare won’t be considered for its store shelves. REI's prefers all 1,000-plus brands it currently works with to…

In episode 98 of Total Retail Talks, Laura Phillips, senior vice president of sustainability, Wal-Mart, discusses the big-box retail chain's new supplier sustainability platform, Project Gigaton. Phillips addresses why sustainability is a critical component of Wal-Mart's corporate values, the business benefits the company has realized from its many sustainability initiatives, and offers advice for other…

Today, there are over 92 million millennials in the U.S. alone, spending about $600 billion each year. In a world where trust has become a form of currency, and with this generation’s socio-civic beliefs leaning more heavily towards environmental initiatives than ever before, businesses are feeling the pressure to adapt both in their social and…