Sustainable Goals
Environmentally friendly business practices have been a hot topic among both retailers and suppliers during the past several years, as operators sought to reduce energy costs and make their businesses more efficient, and green-minded shoppers rewarded those businesses with their dollars. And according to several experts, these efforts are likely to continue, despite the ongoing recession. In many
January 26, 2009
MATTHEW ENIS
Environmentally friendly business practices have been a hot topic among both retailers and suppliers during the past several years, as operators sought to reduce energy costs and make their businesses more efficient, and green-minded shoppers rewarded those businesses with their dollars. And according to several experts, these efforts are likely to continue, despite the ongoing recession.
“In many ways, what we're seeing, particularly in this climate, is sustainability as a cost-managing strategy,” said Anne Johnson, director of the Sustainable Packaging Coalition, Charlottesville, Va. “I think companies that have been looking at their supply chains, looking at how they're using materials, looking at how they're managing waste, and looking at how they're managing energy have been very well prepared to deal with a lot of the economic turmoil in what is a very fast-paced and dynamic marketplace.”
Several cities, particularly on the West Coast, are also mandating change by banning certain types of containers. With many cities now facing imminent problems with landfill space, these types of laws could begin spreading to other municipalities.