Environmental Sustainability

In episode 98 of Total Retail Talks, Laura Phillips, senior vice president of sustainability, Wal-Mart, discusses the big-box retail chain's new supplier sustainability platform, Project Gigaton. Phillips addresses why sustainability is a critical component of Wal-Mart's corporate values, the business benefits the company has realized from its many sustainability initiatives, and offers advice for other…

Today, there are over 92 million millennials in the U.S. alone, spending about $600 billion each year. In a world where trust has become a form of currency, and with this generation’s socio-civic beliefs leaning more heavily towards environmental initiatives than ever before, businesses are feeling the pressure to adapt both in their social and…

In episode 80 of Total Retail Talks, Total Retail's Editor-in-Chief Melissa Campanelli interviews Marci Zaroff, founder of Under the Canopy, an eco-friendly brand of stylish and innovative home products; as well as MetaWear, a manufacturer of certified-organic, custom screen-printed apparelat a recent Total Retail Talks Live event. Listen in as Marci discusses why sustainable products…

Patagonia has announced that beginning this April, customers will be able to bring their used Patagonia merchandise to local stores and exchange it for credit to buy new items. The Huffington Post reports Patagonia will then clean, repair and sell the older donated items at discounted prices on its Worn Wear website. The website currently highlights…

The world is watching as Donald J. Trump officially takes the office of the President of the United States, wondering what’s in store for the next four years. If the recent cabinet confirmation hearings, last-minute actions from Obama and even tweets from Trump are any indication, it's going to be an unpredictable time. This is…

Total Retail’s seventh annual list of the leading female executives in retail features a who’s who in the industry. This year’s honorees were chosen based on a number of factors, including being in a top-level position within a retail organization, scope of responsibility within that position, career achievements, and involvement within the retail industry. This week we feature Yael Aflalo, founder and CEO of Reformation.

Patagonia announced yesterday it will donate 100 percent of its Black Friday sales — estimated to be well over $2 million — to grassroots environmental groups. The donations will come from sales at both its 80 global stores and Patagonia.com on Black Friday. The move isn't entirely out of character for the brand. Patagonia already donates 1…

In episode 60 of Total Retail Talks, Christopher Wu, co-founder and CEO of Paper Culture, an online retailer that offers modern design and sustainable products, including stationery, wedding invitations and wall decor, talks about the growth of the business, and in particular how a commitment to environmentally friendly products and attracting millennials to the brand…

Patagonia is joining other companies that are giving workers a day off on Election Day, saying it wants to encourage its employees to have the time to elect candidates up and down the ballot who will protect the environment. A movement called "Take Off Election Day" has enlisted hundreds of tech companies, mainly smaller ones, to…

Products that minimize harm to our planet benefit all of us, thus the most sustainable retail solution is the most desirable solution. As a retailer, however, implementing sustainability doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice style. Sustainable products can be deemed design-forward by providing functional, fashionable products that allow retailers to send a message to consumers: You don’t have to sacrifice…