RILA introduces tool to measure retail sustainability practices

Arlington, Va. – The Retail Industry Leaders Association has released the 2015 Retail Sustainability Management Maturity Matrix, a tool for retail sustainability executives to identify possible pathways to strong environmental sustainability programs. The Matrix, co-developed by RILA and Deloitte Consulting LLP, represents the collective knowledge of many industry experts as to leading sustainability management practices.



The Matrix is divided into seven sections, including: strategy & commitment, people & tools, visibility, retail operations, supply chain, products, and environmental issues. Each section documents business practices to help retailers determine the maturity of their sustainability programs. In addition, it provides benchmarks and guidelines for achieving improved sustainability performance.



“The Retail Sustainability Management Maturity Matrix guides retailers through every dimension of their sustainability program, from initial development, to meeting the standard considerations, to a leading-class performance. Further, it documents ‘next practices’ to signal the future direction of leading companies,” said Adam Siegel, VP, sustainability & retail operations, RILA.



RILA will use the Matrix to benchmark the industry in 2015 and beyond via an online survey. The results will be used to determine the industry’s priorities, dictating the topics of focus for RILA events, calls, and the annual Retail Sustainability Conference. RILA will also produce custom reports for survey respondents, and an industry report with aggregate learnings.