This Week’s Green Note 28th September 2009 

Home Depot is encouraging customers to return used mercury filled bulbs – what about Australian retailers?

Home Depot is encouraging customers to bring back used mercury bulbs – what about
Australian retailers doing the same.

“Compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs last 10 times longer than your incandescent bulb, but they’ve got mercury inside of them, so you really shouldn’t throw them away,” said Home Depot CFO Carol Tome. "You can bring them back to Home Depot and we’ll recycle them for you.”

To comment on Sustainable Retailing in Australia and New Zealand email Sustainable Retailing 2009.

Tony Standley

Principal
The RETAiL Alert Group (Australia)

Mobile +61 (0)41 924 0497
e-mail info@adsass.com.au
Fax +61 (0)2 9987 0633
Website http://www.retailalert.com.au
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We keep on asking the question, where are the Australian and New Zealand retail sector associations and Australian and New Zealand retailers on cost savings which can be derived from sustainable retailing…..?

We recommend that Australian and New Zealand retailers who want to reduce costs by adopting world’s best practice sustainable retailing practices get updates from GreenBiz.com 

• Leading global retailers such as TESCO; Wal-Mart; Marks and Spencer are not in sustainable retailing to create additional costs of doing business they are in the business of leveraging sustainable retailing to reduce costs.

Post the Chain Store Age in the US organising a Green4Retail Conference the World Retail Congress has identified Sustainable Retailing as a profit opportunity for the Australian and New Zealand retail sectors, even in these tough times.

The RETAiL Alert Group has repeatedly said surely one of the local retail sector Australian associations could organise a similar event.

We repeat it is all about reducing Australian retailers’ costs by adopting smart sustainable retail technology, design and techniques improving retailers’ bottom lines in tough economic times.

When one of the retail sector industry associations gets around to having a conference on Sustainable Retailing the agenda should be similar to recent Sustainable Retailing events.

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Who Should Attend?

Retail executives involved in:

       Construction and Site Development

       Store Planning and Design

       Facilities Management

       Real Estate

       Energy and Waste Management

       Sustainability & Environmental Strategy

Gain Valuable Information On:

       Defending Green Financially in a Difficult Economy

       Lessons from McDonald's Eco
Learning Lab

       Renewable Energy: Solar and Beyond 

       24 Money Saving Tips for Going Green 

       Maximizing Energy Efficiency in New and Existing Facilities 

       Environmental Regulations 
...And More! 

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Australian retailers in these tough times needs a proactive Federated Retail Sector Industry Association that champions environmentally friendly cost reduction programmes with landlords, governments, suppliers and transport companies for their members.

Currently Australian Shopping Centres pass on operating costs to tenants although there are efforts to keep costs down retail tenants have no real leverage to force closed market shopping centres to design centres or maintain shopping centres to use best practice cost reduction environmental practices to reduce tenant’s costs.

The RETAiL Alert Group believes that local governments and councils providing a local retail catchment asset to a Shopping Centre owner should undertake an annual environmental audit using standards set by organisations such as Green Star.

The Australian Shopping Centre Industry does have green guidance provided by a number of sources including Green Star.

What is really required in Australia however is that Federated Retail Sector Association that can deliver the same standard of support and government input as does the NRF (National Retail Federation) US with its Sustainable Retailing programme.

Until the Federated Retail Sector Industry Association is formed The RETAiL Alert Group will push for one of the first re-birthed ARA committees to be the Environment Committee structured as follows;

The end game to have the proposed Federated Retail Sector Association Environment Committee pattern its deliverables based on the principles of the NRF Sustainable Retailing Consortium model as found on the NRF Website.

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NRF Sustainable Retailing Consortium

The Sustainable Retailing Consortium brings together retailers, manufacturers, vendors, and organizations that are engaged in sustainable (green) retailing efforts.  This networking and share group will continue to monitor the evolution of green retailing efforts in the industry and watch for meaningful trends that can be communicated appropriately to the broader industry through the NRF website, conferences, and publications as appropriate. This group meets via conference call.

The SRC includes nine working councils:

·      Green Building Design Council

·      Stakeholder Education Council

·      Recycling and Waste Reduction Council

·      Supply Chain, Logistics and Transportation Council

·      Renewable Energy Council

·      Green Products and Partnerships Council

·      Consumer Trend and Behaviour Council

·      Leadership and Program Governance Council

·      Accountability and Transparency Council

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Again it is hoped that some benefit can be garnered from the work already done by the NRF Sustainable Retailing Consortium

The RETAiL Alert Group is asking for suggestions on practical, sustainable cost reduction environmental strategies from its readers; please email your suggestions to Australian Sustainable Retail Environmental Strategies 2009.

Tony Standley

Principal
The RETAiL Alert Group (Australia)

Mobile +61 (0)41 924 0497
e-mail info@adsass.com.au
Fax +61 (0)2 9987 0633
Website http://www.retailalert.com.au