On 22 October, the European Retail Forum, working under the auspices of the European Commission, held its third forum meeting in Brussels. ICSC has been an active participant in the Retail Forum, which brings together the main stakeholders in the retail chain.
At this meeting, participants discussed the issue of the optimization of retail distribution systems, with the consideration of a draft Issue paper that the forum secretariat drew up following input from members. The issue paper looks at the barriers and opportunities to making retail distribution chains more sustainable and identifies some key best practices. The best practice cases that ICSC submitted for inclusion in the paper highlight the efforts put in place by center developers and managers to "green" their logistics operations.
Also on the agenda was the issue of the effective marketing and communication of green commitments and issues. Participants discussed European attitudes towards sustainability and the role that retailers must play in educating and informing consumers. An issue paper on this topic will be prepared for the next forum meeting in February 2010.
Sources: ERT, European Commission
