There are studies about everything these days-flu vaccines, why people vote the way they do, how bat sonar is affected by wind turbines-but there is one that really stuck out for me. A. T. Kearney published a study on how the retail supply change is being affected by going (or not going) green. Mainly they are talking about packaging and environmental concerns are soon going to affect the retail sectors ability to compete. They coined a term that was new to me: Ecoflation.
“The Ecoflation scenario is a vision of a future where companies have to deal with environmental costs previously borne by society,” said Andrew Aulisi, director of WRI’s Markets and Enterprise Program. “Environmental concerns are driving a global trend of policy activism and regulation. Our scenario describes this trend and the most pressing environmental challenges, and finds that the earnings of consumer goods companies are exposed to significant risk rising out of their supply chains.”
This seems like good news to me. While the language is confusing this is still a good read. As if on cue, I found this article by GreenBiz.com. It is all about how a group of industry leaders are working on a plan to green up the supply chain. It is great news for us environmentalists, as members include Wal Mart, and Sysco.
The stewardship group has set an ambitious goal for what aspects of the food chain should be addressed; among the list of issues to be addressed are employment processes, pest management and pesticide use, greenhouse gas emissions, packaging use and impacts on soil, water and stormwater.
One reason that this is important, is it shows us how we can make a difference with our buying dollars. Retail often leads the way in green agriculture, but now we are getting the “big boys” involved. As Whole Foods has taken over most of the natural foods market, consumers have demanded greener products across the board. Case in point is the selection of organic produce, natural foods, and naturally raised animal products that are being integrated into nearly every store.
The next move for us consumers is to insist that retailers embrace sustainability on a corporate level. Shopping only at stores that have green stores is an idea (being in the green interior design industry, I think this is idea #1). Supporting business with a green corporate strategy is another. It is great to buy organic produce, but if you by it from a conglomerate who doesn’t recycle or do anything to reduce electricity is supporting the wrong company. It is up to us, the consumers, to tell big business what we believe is important and make them follow through. The easiest way is with our dollars. You have to buy food anyway, buy it where you can make a statement.
