Over the last couple of years, retail firms have steadily sought to reduce their carbon impact on the environment. Initiatives have come in the form of energy efficient buildings, reducing the amount of packaging materials used in the products, introducing bio-degradable carry bags, reducing the number of carbon miles of its products (partly by stocking products that are manufactured or produced in that particular region).
Retail firms and especially the big firms like Wal-Mart, Tesco have the power to influence its suppliers and thereby bring about an permanent change in the way our environment is affected.
According to a recent survey by Management Consulting Firm Capgemini, 87% of global customers stated that a sustainability factor will have a major influence in their buying behaviour. And this percentage is only going to increase with sustainable products costing as much as their non-sustainable counterparts.
No wonder that Tesco has come out with a supermarket that it claims to be "Zero Carbon Supermarket"