The Sustainability Shake-Up Retail Can’t Ignore — RCC 2025 Conference
October 29–30 | Toronto Congress Centre
What’s Next in Regulatory Risk for Retailers, QSRs, CPGs and Supply Chains: From emerging recycling rules and plastics reporting to responsible sourcing and greenwashing under the Competition Act, regulatory risk is reshaping the landscape for retailer operations and global supply chains. At the same time, consumer expectations are also rising — more than half of Canadians now factor climate impact into their purchases (Boston Consulting Group, Climate and the Canadian Consumer, 2023), making sustainability both a compliance requirement and a business imperative.
Retail Council of Canada (RCC) is convening industry leaders at the Retail Sustainability Conference 2025, October 29–30 at the Toronto Congress Centre. Expect hands-on workshops, sharp regulatory insight, and actionable case studies to help your business move from ambition to execution. Buy tickets (20% group discounts available — ideal for cross-functional teams).
This year carries extra weight with opening remarks from Todd McCarthy, Hon. Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (Ontario), underscoring that government policy and retail strategy must now move in lockstep in order to drive meaningful progress.
October 29 — Practical, Interactive Workshops
Day one is built for leaders who need solutions they can implement now. Sessions include:
- Electronic Vehicle (EV) Zero-Emission Fleet Transformation Deep Dive — IKEA Canada and PowerON share real-world lessons on electrifying delivery fleets, from cost modeling to charging infrastructure and what it takes to accelerate adoption across operations.
- Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Deep Dive — Featuring regulator and producer perspectives, this workshop will tackle cost pressures, compliance challenges, and opportunities to streamline reporting and harmonize recycling systems as new provincial programs roll out.
Additional experts will bring perspectives on financing, infrastructure, and compliance tools — helping teams understand the latest trends, best practices and innovation efforts in navigating emerging requirements.
October 30 — Strategy, Regulation & Innovation
Day two dives into the biggest sustainability challenges shaping Canadian retail, quick-service restaurants, CPGs and supply chain partners — and how to turn them into opportunity:
- Big Brand Journeys & Strategy: Costco’s Sustainability Journey: From Operations to Global Supply Chains · From Risk to Resilience: Sustainability as a Retail Strategy · Why Nature Is a Business Imperative
- Supply Chains & Packaging: Rethinking Supply Chains for a Sustainable Future · Legislation and Regulations Are Here. Is Your Packaging Ready? · Solving Common Packaging Data Management Challenges
- Consumer-Driven Innovation: How Refill and Reuse Are Reshaping Consumer Goods · Sustainable Procurement for Retail Leaders: The Advantage Your Brand Needs · Scaling Solar Energy in Retail Real Estate
- Regulatory & Risk Readiness: What’s Next in Regulatory Risk for Retailers, QSRs, CPGs and Supply Chains: From EPR and plastics reporting to responsible sourcing, and the rising risk of greenwashing under the Competition Act.
- Circularity & Recycling: The Evolution of Flexible Plastics Recycling – Improving Recycling Opportunities and Outcomes · Advancing Producer-Led Recycling: Circular Materials’ Strategic Vision for Canada
- Global Brand Insight: Hear from PepsiCo’s global sustainability leadership on embedding climate resilience, circular packaging, and value chain decarbonization into growth strategy.
These sessions cut through theory to deliver clear strategies, compliance insight, and emerging pathways to scale change.
Why Bring Your Team
Speakers span PepsiCo, IKEA, Unilever, McCain Foods, leading compliance experts, and government voices — a rare chance for sustainability, supply chain, operations, government relations, marketing, legal and finance teams to learn together. Group ticket discounts make it easy to send the right mix of leaders to build one coordinated plan.
Seats are limited — prepare your team to navigate regulatory and market pressures with insights to drive best practices into action.
