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Retailers of all sizes contribute to a sustainable Europe 2020
24 June 2010
One year on from the launch of the Retailers' Environmental Action Programme (REAP), Sir Terry Leahy, CEO of Tesco and President of the European Retail Round Table, and Rainhardt von Leoprechting, Vice President / Head of Corporate Relations, Metro Group and President of EuroCommerce today announced a Code for Environmentally Sustainable Business.
The code, which has already been signed by 17 companies and 9 federations, commits retailers to action in six areas: sourcing; resource efficiency; transport and distribution; waste management; communications and reporting.
At a Retail Forum for Sustainability event in Brussels, speakers including European Commissioner Janez Potočnik outlined the crucial role of retailers in Europe's sustainable future. Retailers are part of the solution - not only can they work on reducing their own environmental footprint, but through their enormous sphere of influence, they can work with supply chains and empower consumers.
Sir Terry Leahy says "In the year since the launch of the Retailers' Environmental Action Programme, we are pleased with the significant progress we have made: the huge numbers of changes that are being made in stores, in our distribution systems, with our suppliers, with NGO partners and of course customers. Today, we are taking a next step with the launch of the Code. We know we have more to do and I am confident that the implementation of this Code will help us to do so. Any company, no matter how much it has done so far, can sign up and show it is committed to action. It's a great example of the creation of a mass movement in green consumption working in practice."
Dr. Rainhardt von Leoprechting said "The retail sector is not only a huge player in the European economy, generating 13% of GDP, it is also the link between industry and millions of consumers. In this pivotal role we can work with all actors along the supply chain to develop new sustainable solutions. Together we can lead Europe towards a better, greener future. "
The full text of Code for Environmentally Sustainable Business can be seen at www.errt.org and www.eurocommerce.be.
