Sustainability Committee

Overview

RILA’s Sustainability Committee is composed of retail sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR) executives focused on enabling more environmentally sustainable and circular business opportunities. Sustainability executives address issues that affect greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the efficient and responsible use of natural resources, and product- and material-lifecycle value retention. They also manage responses to stakeholder requests for information on sustainability performance.

The retail industry sees increasing interest in internal and external-facing sustainability goal setting, as it works to improve measurement and management of environmental performance of retail operations and product lifecycles; to facilitate product transparency and traceability and to serve as a source for innovative solutions to other core retail business challenges.

The Sustainability Committee provides RILA members a forum for executives to benchmark and hear from experts regularly on rotating topics related to the implementation, management, and oversight of retail sustainability programs. The committee has two annual in-person meetings (one co-located with the Circularity conference), benchmarking surveys, and bi-monthly, focused benchmarking calls on members’ highest priority issues.

RILA members have full access to past meeting and call content, reports and benchmarking results which can be found below.

For more information on RILA's Sustainability Committee, contact Erin Hiatt, Senior Vice President, Retail Operations at erin.hiatt@rila.org.

Strategic Partners

Committee Materials

Climate and Sustainability

RILA is working with federal, state & local lawmakers to ensure legislative requirements are based upon sound environmental & market impact research.

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2024 Sustainability Committee Meeting Recaps

February 1, 2024

2021 PROXY SEASON ESG LOOKBACK

In this blog, Sullivan & Cromwell discuss key takeaways for retail from the 2021 Proxy season.

November 26, 2021

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External Stakeholder Communications Library

Resources are available to RILA committee members. Please login to access or contact us to learn more about membership.

April 22, 2020

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March 2024 Waste Diversion & Measurement Approach Survey

Benchmarking survey of RILA members' waste diversion and measurement approaches. (October 2024)

March 1, 2024

A Recap of the 2022 Retailer Environmental Roundtable

Summary of sessions from RILA's Retailer Environmental Roundtable on September 13-14.

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Carry Out Shopping Bag Compliance & Sustainability Survey

Peer survey on shopping bag regulation tracking, compliance, and sustainability approaches. (Members-only content. Please log-in to access).

January 28, 2020

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Appropriate Corporate Governance to Managing Legal Risks

RILA & Morgan Lewis Webinar on identifying and managing legal risks through corporate governance structures and processes.

November 16, 2022

Extended Producer Responsibility Bills Gain Momentum

Overview of current EPR bills in the U.S. and a brief history of EPR programs that exist

August 30, 2021

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July 2021 Sustainable Packaging Strategies Survey Report

RILA summarized Sustainability Committee and Zero Waste Network member responses to a benchmarking survey on sustainable packaging strategies.

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Board Oversight Over ESG Issues and Disclosures

Vinson & Elkins LLP on Board Oversight Over ESG Issues and Disclosures. (Oct. 2021)

October 7, 2021

IRA Building Energy Efficiency Incentives for Retail

IRA energy efficiency incentives most relevant to the retail industry

Landlord Collaboration

Through the Landlord-Tenant Energy Partnership, RILA works with ICSC, IMT and PRSM to reduce leasing barriers for energy projects and reduce costs.

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CSRD & CSDDD: Briefing & Peer Benchmarking Session Slides

Experts from Beveridge & Diamond provide insights on EU CSRD & CSDDD reporting requirements, timelines, and best practices for preparing to report.

July 10, 2024

Retailers and Experts Talk Compliance & Sustainability

Retailers and industry experts talk environmental compliance and sustainability

Retail GHG Targets Tracker

Detailed tracker of retail companies with emissions reduction, energy efficiency, and/or renewable energy goals.

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CSRD & CSDDD: Briefing & Peer Benchmarking Session

Experts from Beveridge & Diamond provide insights on EU CSRD & CSDDD reporting requirements, timelines, and best practices for preparing to report.

July 10, 2024

Retail Waste Targets Tracker

Detailed tracker of retail companies with waste, recycling and packaging goals.

Building Energy Codes - Ashrae V. IECC

A quick reference tool for retailers on the two major energy code models in the U.S.

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Climate Disclosure Controls & Audit Preparedness

RILA and Grant Thornton hosted a discussion about regulatory and voluntary climate disclosure controls and audit preparedness.

December 18, 2024

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Climate Disclosure Controls & Audit Preparedness Slides

RILA and Grant Thornton hosted a discussion about regulatory and voluntary climate disclosure controls and audit preparedness

December 18, 2024

Collaborative Renewable Sourcing

FAQ on aggregated deals that allow buyers to participate in the renewables sourcing market

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Takeaways and Resources for the Retail Industry

Several RILA members and Accenture attended COP26. Learn about key takeaways from the global event with a retail lens

November 18, 2021

Corporate Sustainability Goals & Supply Chain Impacts

Talia Rudee from CDP and Bram Keteleer from P&G discuss SBT's and Scope 1, 2, and 3 for retail.

May 19, 2021

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Current ESG and Climate Disclosure Landscape

Webinar presentation by Austen Jensen, RILA and Catherine Clarkin, Sullivan and Cromwell on the Current ESG and Climate Disclosure Landscape

September 8, 2021

Cut Costs, Increase Efficiency, and Reduce Emissions

Jennifer Wong from Convoy and Ron Guzzi from The Home Depot share insights on how to reduce empty miles.

June 2, 2021

DOE Appliance and Equipment Standards

Quick reference tool for retailers on DOE Appliance and Equipment Standards

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Durability of Sustainability Demand Amid Inflation Slides

RILA, Circana and NYU-Stern led a conversation about the durability of sustainability product demand amid inflation

October 10, 2024

E-commerce Fulfillment & Emissions Webinar

Deepam Mishra and Sid Jatia from Microsoft along with Professor Anne Goodchild discuss the interconnection between e-commerce and sustainability.

June 16, 2021

Energy Resiliency in the Supply Chain

Hear Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions along with Argonne Lab and Stewart & Stevenson discuss energy resiliency.

July 28, 2021

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EPA HFC Technology Transitions Rulemaking

Beveridge & Diamond review EPA’s HFC Technology Transitions Rulemaking proposal and key questions that will inform joint retail association comments.

January 5, 2023

ESG Disclosure Bills Introduced to States

Overview of introduced, and previously enacted, ESG disclosure bills

March 1, 2024

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ESG Retail Reporting: RILA Committee Descriptions

This resource provides sample language for retailers to use to describe their engagement in RILA’s ESG-supporting committees and councils

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2024 February Quick Benchmarking Survey California AB1305

Benchmarking survey of RILA members’ insights and feedback on how companies have/are planning to comply with AB 1305 (February 2024)

February 1, 2024

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FTC Green Guides

FTC Green Guides Regulatory Comments

FTC Recyclable Claims Workshop

FTC Recyclable Claims Workshop Regulatory Comments

June 12, 2023

Global Procurement

FAQ discussing global procurement of renewables.

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Incorporating Community Solar Into Corporate Sustainability

Overview of community solar markets + the tactics corporations are deploying to further their corporate sustainability strategies.

February 28, 2023

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Incorporating Community Solar Into Corporate Sustainability

Overview of community solar markets + the tactics corporations are deploying to further their corporate sustainability strategies.

Lightbulb Efficiency Standards

A quick reference tool for retailers on U.S. lightbulb efficiency standards.

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November 2021 Climate Check-In: RILA Policy & Update

2021 Retailer Environmental Roundtable session with Brook Detterman (Beveridge & Diamond) and Austen Jensen (RILA).

November 3, 2021

Onsite Power Purchase Agreements (PPA)

FAQ explaining the benefits and challenges of Onsite Power Purchase Agreements

Owned Onsite Systems

FAQ on owned, onsite renewable energy assets

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Packaging Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Compliance

2021 Retailer Environmental Roundtable session with Garth Hickle (Signalfire Group).

November 4, 2021

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Packaging Legislation on the Horizon

2021 Retailer Environmental Roundtable session with Lauren Doroghazi (Multistate)

November 4, 2021

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Partnering with Your Suppliers for Hazardous Waste Reduction

2021 Retailer Environmental Roundtable session with Ashley Bell (UL) and Joe Donnelly (UL).

November 3, 2021

Reducing Waste & Increasing Revenue

Hear from PreZero and Recurate how to optimize reverse logistics and approach building circular systems through resale.

July 14, 2021

Renewable Energy Credits (REC)

FAQ on Renewable Energy Credits (REC)

Retail GHG Emissions Factors, Data & Methodology

Summary of sources for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions factors, data, and methodology relevant to retailers who are developing a company GHG inventory.

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RILA and EY: Climate financial reporting Webcast

RILA and EY hosted a climate financial reporting webcast to learn potential approaches and interpretations of these climate reporting regulations

August 14, 2024

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RILA and EY Climate financial reporting Webcast Slides

RILA and EY hosted a climate financial reporting webcast to learn potential approaches and interpretations of these climate reporting regulations

August 14, 2024

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SASB for Retail

In this webinar Taylor Reed and Neil Stewart from SASB discuss how SASB applies to retail.

May 27, 2021

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SBTi Comment Letter

RILA & RCC filed formal joint comments in response to SBTi concerning their request for input on Corporate Net Zero Standard Consultative Document.

May 30, 2025

Scope 1 & 2 GHG Emissions Tracking and Data Collection

Melinda Wolfe and Olivia Hill of Schneider Electric share leading practices for collecting and estimating Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions data.

February 1, 2023

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Serving the Conscious Consumer through Digital Platforms

Recording from the Serving the Conscious Consumer through Digital Platforms call

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Setting and Meeting Sustainable Packaging Goals

RILA, Kim Carswell and Dr. Sandeep Kulkarni discussed best practices for setting and meeting sustainable packaging goals.

March 23, 2023

State Energy Efficiency & Building Natural Gas Laws/Codes

A quick reference tool for retailers on the energy efficiency laws and codes in the U.S.

Sustainable Fleets: Transportation + Sustainability Series

eIQ Mobility, IKEA, and Beveridge & Diamond discuss sustainable fleets.

June 30, 2021

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Sustainable Packaging Innovations

2021 Retailer Environmental Roundtable session with Kate Barry (Chainalytics), Ann Meitz (3M), and Dennis Raffa (CHEP).

November 4, 2021

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TCFD for Retail

In this webinar Curtis Ravenel from TCFD and Ran Tao with Estee Lauder Companies discuss how TCFD applies to retail.

May 13, 2021

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The Durability of Sustainability Demand Amid Inflation

RILA, Circana, and NYU-Stern Center for Sustainable Business led a conversation about the durability of sustainability product demand amid inflation.

October 10, 2024

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The Future of Retail is Two-Dimensional with GS1

RILA partnered with GS1 who provided retailers understanding of how the 2D barcode provides industry an opportunity to embed supply chain details

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The Future of Retail is Two-Dimensional with GS1 Slides

RILA partnered with GS1 who provided retailers understanding of how the 2D barcode provides industry an opportunity to embed supply chain

February 11, 2024

The Value of Diversity Certifications Webinar

Learn about the landscape of supplier diversity groups from first-hand experts.

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Third Party Risk Management Webinar

Daniel Click, Greg Matthews & Mitushi Pitti from KPMG shared findings from KPMG's Global Third Party Risk Management Outlook 2020 Report Survey

February 10, 2021

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Top Trends for 2022 (Compliance Considerations)

2021 Retailer Environmental Roundtable Session with Jay Kairam (Walmart), Ron Jarvis (The Home Depot), and Andy Dabydeen (Canadian Tire).

November 3, 2021

Upstream Innovation - Packaging Solutions

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation discusses what upstream innovation is and how it applies to key circular economy strategies, focused on reuse. Guest presentations by Walmart, Walgreens, and Ulta Beauty

March 16, 2021