Sustainability News in Retail
Completely Retail Marketplace looks at the latest Sustainability News from the world of retail.
Globally, consumers choose to buy from brands that commit to sustainability. Nowadays, going green is about more than just conserving energy or asking customers to recycle their shopping bags. Sustainability allows brands to better connect with their customers and do their bit for the planet.
Read the below Snapshot blog post to gain further insight into the latest sustainability news in retail.
Shaftesbury opens first ‘transparent’ recycling store on Carnaby Street
The first visible recycling unit has been opened on Carnaby street, all thanks to Shaftesbury. The unit acts as a plastic sorting facility and a retail store, offering customers transparency into the entire process.
The ‘Are You Mad’ store is located at 56B Carnaby Street and collects plastic waste from local businesses, shoppers, and the community. The Plastic is then sorted, shredded, and turned into something new.
The Carnaby site has been functioning as a plastic collection unit for over a month (before becoming a store). It has already diverted one tonne of plastic from going to landfills over 40 days. The Are You Mad store will also include a workshop. Customers can bring their waste, learn about plastic and turn their waste into something useful, such as hair combs and coasters.
Three different types of plastic (HDPE, PP and PS) are collected by Shaftsbury. These are said to be found in broken hangers, milk bottles, bottle caps and food crates.
In a recent interview, Shaftesbury retail director Samantha Bain-Mollisonc stated: “We’re delighted to announce that Carnaby will be home to the first ever plastic recycling concept shop, Are You Mad. The conscious creative unit is one of a kind. We can’t wait to see what unique items are produced from all the plastic donated and the future of recycling.”
Furthermore, Are You Mad co-founder James Suckling said: “Having a bricks-and-mortar store is our way of making repurposed waste visible to the general public. We hope to change the perception of rubbish by showing the process of turning waste into unique and tangible objects. As a brand, we make a difference by creating meaningful employment and circularity through waste. Furthermore, with this project, the amount of plastic sent to landfills.”
Retailers in Carnaby, such as Ganni, G-Shock, The North Face, and Swatch, have signed up to support the initiative. The organisation will also take charitable donations for the project in-store in exchange for retail products.
Boots aims to provide its customers with the most affordable Christmas ever
To assist customers during the cost-of-living crisis, Boots has said that this Christmas will be “it’s most affordable ever”. Research has shown that shoppers are looking to cut costs on Christmas gifts this year. To help customers save money, Boots has created a wide array of deals for every budget.
Boots has Priced over 700 products (50%) at under £10 and 70% of products at £15 or under. Furthermore, the retailer has said that its star gift program is even bigger than before, with over 50% discount on best-selling brands.
The 3-for-2 gifting promotion is back again this year and includes over 1,000 lines. Boots has also introduced its biggest-ever Price Advantage offering. This allows Boots Advantage Card holders to take advantage of their biggest-ever price advantage. With exclusive discounts on up to 900 products each month. In addition, the retailer has shared its anticipated Top 12 gifts expected to be best sellers this year. Make sure to check them out, as stocks are limited.
Shein to reduce its carbon footprint by 42% in the next seven years
As part of its sustainability plans, Shein has revealed its intent to reduce its carbon footprint by up to 42% by 2030. The fashion retailer has confirmed that it aims to reduce carbon emissions from its whole supply chain.
All emissions generated from Shein operations, which it said contribute less than 0.05% of the company’s 2021 emissions, will be cut by 42% by 2030. In addition, the online fashion brand will invest in renewable energy certificates (RECs) to ensure that all of the electricity used in Shein operations by 2030 comes from renewable sources.
Shein-owned facilities account for less than 0.5% of the company’s overall 2021 emissions. Shein has also partnered with renewable power and decarbonisation provider Brookfield Renewable Partners. Along with the Apparel Impact Institute (Aii) to cut greenhouse gas emissions from its partners’ textile production facilities by 10% per facility.
In addition, Shein will invest up to £6.96 million into funding Aii carbon emission benchmarking and water, energy, and chemicals reduction initiatives.
Aldi opening a new eco-concept store
In an attempt to reduce carbon consumption, Aldi is preparing to open a new eco-concept store in Royal Leamington spa. Opening on the 29th of September 2022, the new store uses sustainable building materials and design changes to reduce carbon emissions by up to two-thirds.
Using the store as a test bed for learning which elements work best for their customers and the reduction of carbon consumption Aldi is trying to make it easier for its shoppers to “reduce, reuse and recycle” in this new concept store. If this venture proves successful Aldi has stated that it will start to roll this structure out into other stores across the country.
The new store features include the following:
• Sustainable building materials – Fibre insulation made from timber, cement replacement concrete, recycled lighting columns and low-temperature tarmac. A part-green roof and several changes to the original store design have been done. This will decrease life-cycle carbon emissions and improve the ecological credentials of the site.
• A recycle unit for ‘Hard to recycle’ items – Placed at the entrance of the store for customers to recycle items which are not collected by local authorities. Aldi s to be the first UK retailer to try a recycling point for coffee pods and medicine packets. They will also be accepting batteries, soft plastics, and cosmetic packaging.
• Energy saving ingenuities – The concept store has solar panels and uses chiller doors to reduce energy consumption. Redesigning the building structure has also helped reduce overall energy use by 57% compared with a normal store.
• Coffee & Nuts refill fixture – A new trial has been implemented in the new store. This is where packaging-free products are being sold to help customers shop more sustainably and at even lower prices. Customers can use their own containers or free FSC-certified paper bags and fill them up with nuts and coffee of their choice.
“Now more than ever, we must do our bit for the environment and this store offers us the ability to easily explore new in-store initiatives and low carbon store designs,” Aldi UK and Ireland CEO, Giles Hurley said.
Joules launches resale platform
Joules has recently launched a resale platform as part of its ‘Joules ReWear’ programme. This comes as an effort by the fashion retailer to help reduce the amount of clothing that ends up in a landfill.
As part of its partnership with Reskinned clothing platform, the resale platform will offer Joules customers the chance to buy any pre-loved and repaired Joules clothing at a reduced price.
All resale clothing passes a thorough grading process, where quality and condition are closely checked, and ozone-cleansing is done. Each item is selected and curated by the Reskinned team. The team certify that every clothing piece is fit to be resold.
Joules’ initial takeback scheme with Reskinned was launched in April. The Scheme enables customers to return pre-loved Joules clothing, footwear or accessories in any condition to extend their life.
Joules corporate social responsibility manager, Ruby Fowler, stated in a recent interview; “We recognise the huge importance of doing what we can to reduce waste and improve the circularity of our industry, and Reskinned’s efforts align closely with our Responsibly Joules framework,”
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