Why sustainability needs to be on every retailer’s agenda now

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‘Sustainability’ is a term that’s thrown around so loosely these days it’s in danger of becoming meaningless. Retailers have promised to decarbonize over the next few decades, but their actual commitments in 2021 are vague and the industry’s carbon footprint remains staggeringly high. For example, Amazon’s prioritization of faster shipping for customers in 2020 meant they rejected greener shipping options for fear of alienating customers.

No wonder consumers are sceptical about retailers honoring their promises of a sustainable future. But imagine if they switched their entire deliver fleet to electric vehicles!

Aside from a few superstars like The Body Shop and Patagonia, many retailers are procrastinating instead of actioning real sustainable changes today. This is understandable because the issues are so huge it’s difficult to know where to start.

But the reality is retailers can’t afford to put it off any longer, for the climate’s sake and their own survival. As Margaret Atwood said in her role as ‘Under Her Eye’ Women & Climate Change Summit ambassador: “This isn’t climate change; it’s everything change.”