What: Retailers are trying to fight against their contribution to environmental damage and emissions, but the major issues lie with indirect partners and peers in manufacturing, logistics, and transport.

Why it is important: According to the National Retail Federation, the major retail body in the US, Scope 3 emissions can account for up to 98 per cent of a retailer’s greenhouse gas emissions, and are far more difficult to manage because, unlike Scope 1 and 2, they are outside of a retailer’s direct control.

Retailers are starting to recognize these issues and are taking steps to fix it within their own business and partners they work with. In order to make a change, retailers are having to evaluate and rethink the business’ relationship with plastics.

Originally, everything was wrapped in plastic to protect goods from being damaged in transit. Some retailers have changed this process to ship goods in large cartons rather than in individual plastic bags. But packaging is a major pain point for customers.

Alternatively, other packaging solutions are offering home-compostable shipping mailers. Alongside the mailers, the company is working towards educating retailers and consumers about composting. Customers are asking for alternatives to plastics, so, therefore, such solutions should not be ignored when innovating the future of supply chain and packaging.

The fight to make the supply chain sustainable