Retail

Driving sustainable performance across the retail sector.
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birds eye view of a retail park

The Challenge with Retail

With recent figures showing that 66% of consumers surveyed consider environmental impact when making a purchase, sustainability is increasingly becoming a strategic priority for retail companies globally. While Covid-19 was the stress test that no organisation had foreseen, it also drove operational change and action, shining a light on new solutions and strategies to achieve financial, environmental and social stability.

There is still much work to be done, however, as while action to reduce climate impact across the retail sector has increased, only a few large retail organisations are successfully embedding sustainable practices across their operations. From luxury apparel and fast fashion to grocery stores, home improvement and personal care brands, responsibility for evolving and advancing the retail sustainability agenda lies across the full value chain, and involves necessary changes that are both complex and multi-faceted.

van

Analysing Labour Risks for a UK Retailer

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grocery produce

Developing Plastics and Packaging Strategy for a Global Retailer

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jeans on clothing rack

Implementing Waste Resource Mapping for a European Online Retailer

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green leaves

Reviewing Procurement Processes for an Online Retailer

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tesco

Developing Sustainability-linked Supply Chain Finance Product for Tesco

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clothes

Implementing a European Sustainability Roadmap for a Fashion Retailer

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Trusted by

Over the last 18 months, Anthesis’ expert but human approach has seen our partnership grow across a multitude of areas of ESG. An absolute pleasure to work with, Anthesis have seamlessly integrated into our ways of working. Immediately grasping where we were in our ESG maturity, they have shown a genuine desire to help us move things forward through applying expertise and passion from across a vast array of subjects and sectors.

AO

We were able to create a leading policy on a tight timeline, thanks to the great collaboration and leading expertise provided by Anthesis.

Zalando

The supply chain report produced by Anthesis was a key element of the success of the initial public offering (IPO) of In The Style. The report ensured investor confidence in ITS and set out a clear roadmap to guide progress.

Liberium

Our chemical strategy will be one of the most comprehensive in the U.S. retail industry, including all Target-owned and national brand products and operations, not just formulated products.

Target

J&J has been a proud member of Product Sustainability Round Table since 2007 and our membership has been a vital component of our product stewardship strategy. It helps us benchmark against other organisations, share best practices, and prepare for emerging trends and issues. The PSRT Leadership Framework has also supported J&J in our path towards more fully institutionalising sustainability across the organisation.

Johnson & Johnson

Anthesis has been instrumental in helping us quantify our carbon footprint and understand where our biggest opportunities lie over the years. This long-term support has allowed us to reach carbon neutrality and maintain our status as the UK’s most ethical water brand – an essential part of what Belu stands for.

Belu Water

Anthesis has been an important thought-partner for us. They’ve been so helpful in getting the vendors on board and engaged. We’ve really relied on their expertise and experience to guide us through this process.

GAP

Solutions for the Retail Sector

Our experts are dedicated to activating change throughout the whole consumer product ecosystem. We work with retail organisations worldwide, including 7 of the top 10 retailers in the Fortune 500, to identify and implement opportunities to drive systemic change while building business value, and to define and implement robust sustainability strategies.

Our experts also work with suppliers to improve their environmental and social performance, and collaborate with industry bodies to drive collective action.

The enablers we see as the strongest ways to drive sustainability progress in retail business:

  • Technological advances in supply chain traceability, transparency and data collection
  • Engaging and supporting suppliers to take climate action
  • Industry collaboration to create solutions, drive sustainable product design and accelerate progress
  • Educating the consumer on the sustainability impacts of their buying and product use decisions

Retail Sector Insights

Retail Team

adrià gelabert
Adrià Gelabert

Director

Spain

honor cowen
Honor Cowen

Director

North America

simon davis
Simon Davis

Director

UK

We are the world’s leading purpose driven, digitally enabled, science-based activator. And always welcome inquiries and partnerships to drive positive change together.

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