ePolitix.com Stakeholders comment on the latest commitments by retailers to reduce the environmental impact of their businesses.

The British Retail Consortium has called for increased government support in order to deliver carbon saving on the scale needed.

Construction Producuts Association

To send a comment to the CPA click here

Stakeholder Response: Construction Product Assocaition

CPA told ePolitix: "Carbon saving from all sectors, retail, industrial, governmental, domestic etc. is essential if we are collectively to meet the climate change objectives and any incentives which will help different sectors achieve this is to be welcomed. 

"What we don’t need is onerous legislation that makes our industry uncompetitive with similar industries around the world, especially our near neighbours. 

"However each sector has a responsibility to improve its own performance – I’m slightly bemused to read that retailers are leading the way in reducing the environmental impact on businesses - one has only to walk past many retail outlets in winter (especially on Oxford St) to experience the enormous blasts of heat emanating from permanently open shop doors.

"We need to move from rhetoric to real action if we want results.  Business in the Environment compiles an annual survey of the FTSE 100 which for years has consistently ranked retail and financial institutions at the bottom in delivering corporate environmental responsibility.

"If this is now changing all well and good and we look forward to them delivering results."

British Retail Consortium

To send a comment to the BRC click here

BRC chairman Sir Geoff Mulcahy said: "We are gathering further evidence of where obstacles currently impede the sector.

"We will be presenting this to government with recommendations that will help retailers further improve the carbon efficiency of their operations."

Stakeholder Response: Biffa

To send a comment to Biffa click here

Biffa said: "The retail sector can be pleased with the way it has responded to the Carbon Challenge but government needs to take on board the need for common Standards of Carbon Accounting in line with the Paper launched by the Aldersgate Group in the House on May 15.

"Until a common set of protocols is agreed across all supply chains we are in danger of adopting methodologies which operate to different definitions and boundaries.

"As a result there is significant risk of confusing or misleading consumers in the whole area of environmental performance claims."

Stakeholder Response: Royal Academy of Engineering

To send a comment to MS Society click here

The Royal Academy of Engineering said: "The Royal Academy of Engineering welcomes the plans that some of our major retailers have put in place to reduce their carbon footprints.

"The latest IPCC report stressed the importance of both supply side and demand side measures to tackle carbon emissions, particularly in relation to emissions from buildings.

"It also carries stark warnings that, although some reductions in emissions have been observed in some regions, the scale is not large enough to make a difference. Retailers can also be uniquely effective in raising environmental awareness in their customers.

"However, transport is a huge contributor to carbon emissions and initiatives to tackle global emissions will only be effective if they are linked with measures that reduce the need for customer travel – including travel to shopping centres - and inefficient and unnecessary transport of consumer goods around the world."