The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) and global sustainability non-profit organization, Forum for the Future, introduced the new Retail Horizons program during the 2014 Retail Sustainability Conference on Monday. The project is designed to motivate the industry toward sustainable solutions.
The program is described as a toolkit to provide retailers with the information they need to safeguard their future, protect the environment and improve the quality of life of their customers, workers and suppliers. It also contains research explaining the need for an industry change, potential future scenarios and other materials to help retailers develop new, innovative ideas to further sustainability.
Helen Clarkson, director of Forum for the Future U.S., said, “We treat 2025 or 2030 as though they were just around the corner—and encourage our partners to do the same, so that they can take meaningful action to ensure a viable, thriving long-term future for themselves and their industries. Retail in the U.S. already has been undergoing huge shifts in recent years. The shift to online and mobile commerce, peer-to-peer networking, the rise of sharing models, the ‘makers movement:’ are these here to stay, or just passing fads? We strongly encourage retailers to use the Retail Horizons toolkit to find out what these trends might mean for them and how they might help or hinder their long-term success.”
The program was created over a year-long collaboration with 50 retail and consumer product brands and is sponsored by Target and Unilever.
To view the Retail Horizons program’s contents visit www.rila.org/future.