By now, retailers and brands are fully aware that they have an important role in addressing climate change, and that consumers and advocates are increasingly taking note of their actions — or nonaction. 

Neither this deeper realization nor the increased scrutiny make the challenge any easier, however. In order to make good on promises to improve their ecological records and offer their customers the greener choices they’re demanding, retailers have had to prepare their own teams to work with suppliers all along the chain. Increasingly, their goals are being formed not just internally, but also by policymakers, here and abroad.

In this episode of The Backroom, we discuss a few of the topics that the Retail Dive team has been tackling in the last couple of months, in a series dedicated to sustainability and retail. You can find those stories here.

Resource links:

• How retailers are grappling with sustainability
• Retail is fundamentally bad for the environment. And doing better isn’t easy.
• Can investors make retail sustainable?
• How retailers’ attitudes toward unionization clash with their ESG policies
• DTC brands have long been vocal about the importance of sustainability. Is that enough?
• With closer scrutiny of apparel manufacturing, policymakers become the real fashion police
• Are sustainable returns possible in the mattress industry?
• ‘We have to do something’: Can retail close the gap on supply chain emissions?