Environmental Sustainability
November 9, 2020 at 4:56 pm
In episode 272 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Zach Freeze, senior director of sustainability at Walmart. Listen in as Freeze discusses Walmart's Project Gigaton, its recent partnership with Schneider Electric to launch the Gigaton PPA (GPPA) Program, and how the initiative educates Walmart suppliers about renewable energy purchases and accelerates renewable energy adoption by participating…
October 6, 2020 at 5:00 pm
Lockdown restrictions across the globe are beginning to lift, with many now speculating that 2020 and the worldwide coronavirus pandemic has been Mother Nature’s way of telling humans to show her more love and respect. While the chain of events that lead from a virus originating in China to the collapse of the global economy…
September 9, 2020 at 9:10 pm
In this video, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Amanda Patrick, social responsibility program manager at drug store chain Rite Aid. Watch as Patrick discusses Rite Aid's recently released second annual corporate social responsibility report, showcasing rapid progress across environmental, social and governance (ESG) efforts. Over the past year, Rite Aid has made significant strides to operate a…
August 12, 2020 at 9:39 pm
Nordstrom is continuing to invest in its commitment to leave the world a better place than it found it. The upscale department store chain recently set its 2025 corporate social responsibility goals, which include commitments in the areas of environmental sustainability, specifically operations and product value chains; human rights to drive systemic change to ensure positive…
July 7, 2020 at 5:17 pm
Loyalty, loyalty, loyalty. If your business is working to harness the purchasing power of future generations, these wise words from Pulitzer Prize-winning millennial rapper, Kendrick Lamar, ring truer than ever in 2020. The spending power of Gen Z and millennials combined with the increasingly saturated retail market has made attracting repeat customers — and organic…
June 10, 2020 at 5:17 pm
During the Women in Retail and Total Retail Virtual Exchange, held on May 28, Anthony Marino, president of thredUP, participated in an interview that touched on a variety of topics, from what innovation means to the company, to why corporate responsibility efforts are essential to modern retailers, and the state of the resale industry today. In…
May 7, 2020 at 8:07 pm
Sustainability has gained a lot of mindshare in the retail world. We’ve seen everything from retailers’ partnerships with brands like thredUP and TheRealReal to the creation of designers’ fully sustainable clothing lines. These initiatives, coupled with consumers who want to feel connected to brands and embrace things old and new, have created an environment where…
March 5, 2020 at 2:57 pm
Although once mostly limited to tiny local consignment and secondhand shops, fashion and apparel recommerce today includes a range of digitally native companies offering resale, rental, upcycling and/or subscription models. Each of these business models can extend the useful life of apparel and increase the average number of times an item is worn, helping cut…
February 25, 2020 at 1:42 pm
Last week, Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA) released its 2019 Corporate Social Responsibility report. It included highlights from WBA's sustainability programs and recognitions from 2019. The report was broken down into four parts: healthy communities, sustainable marketplace, healthy planet, and healthy and inclusive workplace. Total Retail spoke to Alain Turenne, vice president, corporate social responsibility, Walgreens, to…
February 24, 2020 at 9:40 am
Gap is the latest retailer to dip its toes into the secondhand apparel market, following the lead of Macy’s, Nordstrom and others, in a bid to stay relevant in an industry shaken by changing consumer tastes. The company announced last week that it has partnered with resale platform thredUP, which bills itself as the largest…
