Online Annual Report 2009

Retail opportunities to manage supply chain impacts

Retailers are influential. There are many opportunities we have, by virtue of our position in the supply chain, to make a positive impact on manufacturer and consumer attitudes to sustainable development. Here’s how...

Source and procure
 

We've put these into practice:
  • Contract suppliers to comply with minimum human rights, safety and environmental legislation.
  • Specify compliance with minimum product safety standards.

We're doing a hands-on trial:
  • Screen and identify supplier environmental performance against internal standard.
  • Specify third party product endorsement standards.
  • Conduct independent product safety testing.

Some issues we're debating:
  • Screen and identify supplier human rights performance against internal standard.
  • Require third party verification of environmental performance against external standard.
  • Require third party verification of human rights performance against external standard.
  • Specify minimum environmental product attributes.
  • Specify compliance with best practice product safety standards.
  • Specify minimum environmental packaging and recyclability standards.
  • Initiate harmful raw materials replacement programme.

Issues we're aware of:
  • Advocate supplier adoption of external human rights and environmental standards.
  • Require raw materials chain of custody documentation.
  • Conduct product lifecycle assessments.

Distribute
 

We've put these into practice:
  • Optimise local procurement opportunities.
  • Minimise air freight.

We're doing a hands-on trial:
  • Improve environmental attributes of distribution centre facilities.
  • Minimise store deliveries by consolidating supplier loads.
  • Implement environmentally efficient logistics route planning.
  • Adopt/promote reusable logistics containers and palettes.

Some issues we're debating:
  • Implement delivery schedules that minimise peak hour traffic congestion.

An issue we're aware of:
  • Convert logistics fleet to low emission vehicles.

Promote and sell
 

We've put these into practice:
  • Implement cause-based merchandise promotions.
  • Improve environmental attributes of stores.

We're doing a hands-on trial:
  • Build consumer awareness of socially responsible merchandise choices.
  • Reduce plastic carrier bag usage.
  • Expand merchandise range to include bespoke socially responsible merchandise options.
  • Incentivise consumer purchasing of socially responsible product choices.

Some issues we're debating:
  • Specify best practice environmental and, health and safety merchandise labelling standards.

Iissues we're aware of:
  • Build consumer awareness of healthy food choices.
  • Support NGO-based responsible consumerism initiatives at point of sale.
  • Implement additional voluntary promotional and sales controls for socially controversial merchandise (e.g. tobacco).
  • Incentivise consumer purchasing of healthy food product choices.
  • Delist environmentally unfriendly merchandise options.
  • Delist socially controversial merchandise (e.g. tobacco).

Manage after-sales impacts
 

We've put these into practice:
  • Implement reliable after-sales service process.
  • Implement after-sales health, safety and environmental advisory service or training.
  • Implement reliable product recall process.

We're doing a hands-on trial:
  • Provide end-of-life merchandise take back and safe/responsible disposal facilities.
  • Incentivise end-of-life merchandise return and safe/responsible disposal.

Issues we're aware of:
  • Provide safe/responsible disposal consumer advisory service.
  • Provide support to non-governmental organisations/initiatives that deal with post-consumer impacts.