The global, annual SPAR Responsible Retailing Forum highlighted the growing adoption of the international sustainability strategy with adaptations to suit local market needs. Launched in 2018, the internationally developed strategy spans six different areas of health, sourcing, community, environment and supply chain, with all of the initiatives being supported by SPAR's global team members. Recent international and regional agreements and conferences driving sustainability and their impact on both developed and developing markets was highlighted at the start of the day.

Keynote guest speaker, Rebecca Marmot, Chief Sustainability Officer of Unilever, shared how Unilever has embedded sustainability into its business strategy.

Product adaptations

Primarily focusing on SPAR Own Brand products, the first phase of the SPAR Sustainable Sourcing Policy was introduced in 2021, is now being trialled by the SPAR International category management team. Work has begun on the second phase of the Sustainable Sourcing Policy to support SPAR in meeting the sustainable commitments outlined in the strategy. This stage will focus on raw material ingredient sourcing.

One presentation highlighted how extensive packaging adaptation was made in just one year to a broad range of own brand products to meet new legislation around recycling. The changes have been made in only one year instead of the previously planned four years.

Focus on food waste reduction

During this year’s Responsible Retailing Forum, the need to focus on food waste reduction was highlighted as an important tool to reduce climate change. SPAR internationally has made significant strides in this area during the year, achieving a milestone of 1 million meals saved with international partner TooGoodToGo in September. Moreover, SPAR reached an agreement with Gander, which supports SPAR country organisations with food waste reduction. Most recently, SPAR Denmark has adopted WhyWaste successfully as the third arm of our food waste reduction strategy.

Green solutions

Presentations from several speakers illustrated developments in adoption of green energy solutions for both retail and distribution. Challenges were identified around the installation of sufficient energy charging points or having vehicles using an energy source which facilitates longer distances, amongst others. The inclusion of solar plants to drive down costs and reduce impact on climate was another common thread of today’s Forum.

Sharing Best Practice

During this fourth SPAR Responsible Retailing Forum 2021, participants heard many examples of shared best practice about the ongoing roll-out of initiatives within SPAR worldwide in support of meeting the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, targeting EU Green Deal commitments and national goals, emphasising the importance of food retail in achieving all of these targets. Recognition was given to the impact of climate change across the entire value chain, with one presentation focusing on scenario’s based on different rises in temperature.

Better Together

Involving all stakeholder in the development of sustainability strategies, including independent retailers, was another common theme of this year’s Forum.

Thank you to all speakers who put their time into sharing insights which made the Forum interesting for all participants. A summary document will be published in due course and presentations will be made available on SPAR Connect. We look forward to continuing to work together on implementation of responsible retailing initiatives around the globe.