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44
magis
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february 2014
Pitch perfect
GREEN RETAILING
G
lobalwarming
,
water crisis, food short-
ages, increased frequency of
disasters are all indications
that humans have mishan-
dled nature.
According to Dr R. Pachauri (Coca-
Cola Research, 2008), the climate change
is likely to have some irreversible impact
on ecosystems, food shortages, coastlines
and health. The significant sustainability
issues that should be the concern of every
stakeholder are — climate change, waste
management, people and community. Both
as responsible businesses and consum-
ers, there is a strong need to mitigate and
work towards stabilisation of the natural
environment. In the past decade, environ-
mental concerns have gained priority in the
are the retailers. The role of retailers is piv-
otal as they are the intermediaries between
the producers and consumer. Retailers can
contribute towards climate change, waste
management and people and community —
in each of the areas by analysing their busi-
ness processes and addressing these issues.
Retailers can have an impact on both
consumers and suppliers by adopting green
business practices themselves, providing
better choices to customers in the form of
green products thereby, influencing con-
sumer behavior and influencing suppliers
to adopt fair trade and green practices to
supply environmental friendly products.
Adoption of green practices at retail-
ers’ end can build a multiplier effect of
environmental pressure on consumers and
suppliers. It is imperative to adopt and
agendas of most businesses the world over.
Responsible business organisations are
exploring and implementing possibilities
of producing goods in an environmentally
safe way. Responsible consumers are con-
cerned about the broad macro aspects, like
the global warming as well as how their
purchasing choices affect the livelihood of
people in other countries.
The consumers, awakening to sustain-
ability issues is impacting their shopping
habits, just as it is impacting other aspects
of their life, especially in the developed
world (Ipsos Mori Report, 2007). Consum-
ers are also concerned about the environ-
mental impact of products they buy as
well as of the organisations they shop at.
The organisations that often form the link
between the businesses and the consumers
By dr. Smitu Malhotra
