Brussels, 24/09/2010 (Agence Europe) - According to research published by the European Commission on Wednesday 27 September 2010, the voluntary commitments to promote greener, more sustainable commitment made last year by a number of retailers are starting to bear fruit in Europe.
The Commissions' report looks at initial measures taken by the retailers, members of the European Retail Forum, shows that that the provision of more sustainable products is increasing and retailers how have expanded ranges of eco-labelled and organic products.
To give only a few of the examples set out in the report, supermarket chain Carrefour has increased the number of own brand organic products by 83% compared to 2006 while Mercadona has achieved a 100% recovery rate for packaging waste in stores and distribution centres. Asda Wal*Mart reduced CO2 emissions from fleet transport by 40% of 2005 levels and Lidl achieved a reduction of 10,000 tonnes of CO2 in 2009 simply by using shopping bags made from recycled materials.
In a press release, EU Environment Commissioner Janez Potocnik commented: "This report shows that retailers are increasingly serious about their responsibilities towards the environment. Retailers are in a unique position to influence customers' choices and I am pleased to see there are more green products on the shelves. I congratulate retailers on their efforts to become more resource-efficient and reduce their environmental impact, but we are only just beginning."
Although a number of examples of good practice in communicating with consumers were highlighted, the report found this was an area where retailers could do more. The report also recommends setting up an award scheme to recognise good practice.
The Retail Forum was launched in 2009 with the aim of generating a better understanding of the practical measures needed to promote sustainable consumption. Membership is open to all retailers who join the Retailers' Environmental Action Programme (REAP) and to civil society organisations wishing to contribute to its objectives. In June, the retailers presented a voluntary environmental code of conduct for the sector. The Retail Environmental Sustainability Code focuses on the sustainable sourcing of specific products such as timber or fish, increased resource efficiency in stores, optimisation of transport and distribution, better waste management practices and improved communication to consumers.
The report can be found at http: //ec.europa.eu/environment/industy/retail/index_en.htm (A.N. trans fl)