Retailers should press ahead with plans to improve their environmental performance during the economic downturn – or risk falling behind their competitors once market conditions improve, says retail project management specialist Barlows.
Lee Walker, Barlows’ managing director, says he fears that some companies which have set themselves ‘green’ targets will struggle to maintain their good intentions in a tougher trading environment.
Many leading retailers have committed themselves to reducing their environmental impact.
Earlier this year as part of a British Retail Consortium initiative, a string of household names including Asda, Boots, John Lewis and Tesco agreed commitments which included cutting emissions and water use, improving recycling, reducing packaging and waste sent to landfill, and developing carbon footprinting.
Individually some companies have pledged to go even further. Marks & Spencer aims to be carbon neutral by 2012 while others plan to significantly reduce their use of carbon fuels.
Barlows, which pioneered the concept of ‘lean construction’ techniques in the retail sector to reduce waste and time on site, is also a specialist in sustainable construction and able to advise on the most environmentally sound materials and equipment.
Lee Walker says: “Retailers have set themselves some ambitious goals which is highly commendable. The problem is that in terms of management time alone, delivering major environmental projects involves diverting significant numbers of key staff from core activities with no immediate benefits to the bottom line.
“When times get tough it is exactly these types of activities that are most likely to be the target of cost savings.
“It will be a brave retailer who can maintain investment in environmental projects at the same level over the coming year or two.
“However those who hold their nerve are likely to reap the rewards. Sustainability tends to pay back in the longer term, for example through reductions in fuel use and landfill costs. Meanwhile consumer awareness of green issues is unlikely to go away.
“Once the economic storm clouds lift, those who have managed to maintain the momentum will emerge to form a new breed of environmental champions – leaner and more efficient, and well placed to steal a march on the competition.”
