A new report from the Retail Industry Leaders Association’s Retail Compliance Center (RCC) provides trends and insights to help retailers navigate the complex issue of solid waste. Retail Trends: The Waste Landscape and Solutions for the Retail Industry analyzes global trends impacting waste and recycling in the US and identifies leading practices and solutions for retailers.
The report features two chapters: Global Trends, which focuses on policy and consumer trends impacting waste, and The Shifting Landscape of Retail Waste and Recovery and Leading Retail Practices, which discusses how these trends shape retail’s approach to waste and identifies best practices.
Report Highlights
- Retailers have a role to play in supporting the health of the recycling system by creating demand for recycled materials through commitments and procurement strategies.
- Customers want to know where material is going and what it made into. Retailers can build trust and commitment with consumers with transparent reporting requirements for their waste and recycling programs.
- Retailers should expect growing pressure from consumers and regulators to participate and be part of solutions for the packaging they introduce to the market and, therefore, into community waste and recycling programs.
- With the continued growth of e-commerce, retailers are taking innovative steps to combat waste associated with distribution packaging and to shift the model of consumer purchasing.
“Leading retailers have made robust commitments to reducing and eliminating waste, and they are looking across their supply chains for innovative and effective solutions to help them achieve those goals,” said RCC Executive Director Tiffin Shewmake. “This report provides a snapshot of the current retail waste landscape, highlighting both the challenges and opportunities for retailers in this space and offering a path forward on many of these complex issues.”
The report, which was developed in collaboration with Resource Recycling Systems (RSS), can be found here.
