RETAILERS LAUNCH FIRST COMPREHENSIVE INDUSTRY-WIDE CLIMATE CHANGE PLEDGES 

30 April 2008

A string of household-name retailers are today (Wednesday) launching new, industry-wide environmental commitments as the next stage of their response to climate change.

It is the first time the sector has come together to make such a comprehensive set of pledges, intended to remove barriers to progress.

The commitments will be announced this evening (Wednesday) by British Retail Consortium (BRC) Director General Stephen Robertson at the BRC Annual Parliamentary Reception, in partnership with Shopwatch. He will be speaking in front of the Environment Secretary Hilary Benn and an audience of politicians and senior retailers at the House of Commons.

The event is the climax of a BRC environment day and follows a day – long conference The Business of Climate Change in the Retail Environment sponsored by Hewlett-Packard.

Environment Secretary Hilary Benn said: "The pledges made today show that business success and environmental protection can go hand in hand.

"I welcome the British Retail Consortium's commitment to take action to help consumers make informed decisions about the environmental impact of products they buy."

Speaking at the Parliamentary Reception, Stephen Robertson, BRC Director General, will say: "By agreeing industry-wide goals for the next five years, retail is ratchetting up its environmental commitments.

"We recognise we can make a real difference through our own operations and by supporting customers and staff in ways that suit their budgets and lifestyles. Retailers do not lecture or legislate, preach or prosecute. We serve and lead by providing positive choices and, wherever we can, incentives to do the right thing."

Retailers' commitments come under several main headings and include:

- Reducing the direct environmental impact of their businesses – cutting emissions from buildings and vehicles, cutting water use and reducing waste sent to landfill
- Managing their climate change risks – planning future supplies, ensuring continuity
- Helping customers and staff reduce their environmental impact – offering energy efficient products, reducing packaging, developing consistent carbon footprinting of products

The BRC says, just like other business sectors, retail needs to reduce emissions, reduce, recover and recycle waste and ensure expansion has a positive impact. But retailers have a uniquely close relationship with their customers. Not even Government has such a regular dialogue with the public, giving retailers a particular opportunity and responsibility to engage and help customers.

The new commitments will be achieved by, for example:
- Improving the energy efficiency of vehicles, distribution systems and stores
- Minimising waste from operations and sustainably managing any unavoidable waste
- Measuring water use to drive more efficient use and appropriate use of rainwater
- Reducing own-brand packaging and encouraging the same for manufacturers' brands
- Improving recycling and environmental impact information for customers
- Planning for the effects of less predictable weather on supplies and logistics

Some retail businesses have already committed to targets that are more demanding than those being announced today but for others it is an early step in an important field. The BRC believes that by making a collective statement the total gain will be greater and an important signal is being sent to other businesses, politicians and customers.

Retailers who have signed up to the commitments

- Argos
- Asda
- Boots
- Early Learning Centre
- Homebase
- John Lewis
- Marks and Spencer
- Mothercare
- Next
- Sainsbury's
- Somerfield
- Tesco
- The Body Shop
- The Co-operative
- Waitrose
- Wickes

Click here to view the BRC's A Better Retailing Ciimate webpages.