Sustainability is a core factor for European retailers when it comes to product sourcing, according to the findings of a new study.
The research by the International Trade Centre on ‘The European Market for Sustainable Products‘ found 98.5% of retailers interviewed across five EU member states consider sustainability as a factor in product sourcing.
The study covers eight retail product groups: beverages, clothing, computers, food, household and office furniture, mobile phones, printed materials, and toys and games. It is intended to provide recommendations for policymakers, retailers and suppliers to improve their understanding and share of this growing market.
It reveals that retailers are increasingly working in partnership with suppliers – both inside and outside the European Union – to introduce environmental and social standards in their supply chains. 96% of retailers interviewed implement sustainable sourcing strategies and 76% have undertaken public commitments on sustainable sourcing. The results are based on surveys of some 1800 retailers in France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain.
In the clothing category alone, all surveyed participants said in they had seen an increase in sales over the last five years of products that had been sourced sustainably – and 99% believe this will continue to be the case in the next five years.
Cecilia Malmstrom, European Commissioner for Trade, says: “In the EU we have put sustainability at the heart of our trade policy. This study shows that this was the right decision. Consumers increasingly care about where their products come from, and how they were made – they want to know that when they buy something, that the climate and workers’ rights have been respected.
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By GlobalData“The good news is that retailers are beginning to respond.”
