More than three quarters of retailers say they have a more detailed knowledge of what they are spending and the amount of resources they are using as a result of the recession, according to the Envirowise Business Thrift Shift report.
Six in ten retail businesses said they had become thriftier in their spending habits and more careful about using resources efficiently to cope with the downturn.
The government-backed report also found that increased economic pressure had led almost 80% of retailers to identify efficiencies within their businesses.
Envirowise concluded that better management of raw materials, energy and water had resulted from the recession.
It said this “thrift shift” was set to continue, with around 80% of respondents citing resource efficiency measures among possible legacies of the recession.
Bob Gordon, environment policy executive, British Retail Consortium, said:
“The downturn has very much acted as a catalyst for environmental change within the retail sector.
Companies, and indeed consumers, have become increasingly environmentally-active in recent years, but the recession has given this behaviour added meaning and significance.
“There is now a greater sense of urgency for retailers to see the results of the changes they make, meaning short to medium-term cost saving measures have taken the place of investment in longer-term environmental projects, for now at least.”
