Retail sustainability has moved past setting targets. The real test now is whether companies can hit those targets at scale and across supply chains that run through dozens of countries and regulatory systems.
Retail Council of Canada built this year’s Retail Sustainability Conference around this shift. The conference runs October 27-28 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, and the agenda, posted at rccretailsustainability.ca, centers on execution: packaging, extended producer responsibility, textile circularity and fleet transitions, led by the retailers and manufacturers already doing the work.
Global Perspectives, Shared Challenges
The mainstage conference program combines global sustainability leadership with examples of implementation across the retail ecosystem.
Kathleen McLaughlin, Executive Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer at Walmart, brings one of the world’s largest retail and supply-chain organizations to the mainstage, sharing the opportunities to influence change across suppliers, packaging, recyclability and circularity.
Canadian perspectives will also feature prominently. A discussion on textile circularity brings together Holt Renfrew, Canadian Tire and Goodwill Ontario Great Lakes, while Allen Langdon, CEO of Circular Materials, will examine the evolution of packaging and paper EPR with Restaurant Brands International.
The conference closes with a fireside chat between Ann Tracy, Chief Sustainability Officer at Colgate-Palmolive and Kim Furlong, President and CEO of RCC, on how a global manufacturer moves circularity, packaging and emissions reduction from strategy to execution.
Together, the conversations reflect the interconnected nature of today’s sustainability challenges. Packaging design affects recyclability; collection and recycling systems affect material availability; and policy can either support greater scale or add complexity across jurisdictions.
Moving Beyond the Main Stage
That need for collaboration is also behind the return of the conference’s interactive workshops, following strong response from attendees last year.
Two half-day workshops open the conference on October 27.
A Recycled Content Workshop, developed with Environment and Climate Change Canada and the Association of Plastic Recyclers, will bring together retailers, producers, recyclers, governments and other stakeholders to examine material supply and quality, standards, recycling infrastructure, end markets, EPR, policy approaches and the cost gap between new and recycled materials.
A dedicated ZEV Workshop will explore the transition to zero-emission delivery, including fleet strategies, commercial charging infrastructure, incentives and funding. IKEA will also share lessons from its transition to zero-emission vehicles in last-mile delivery and the role collaboration with logistics partners is playing in that work.
The workshop format is designed to allow participants to compare experiences across organizations and jurisdictions, identify barriers and discuss potential solutions with those directly involved in implementation.
Recognizing Measurable Progress
New this year, the conference will conclude with the inaugural Retail Sustainability Excellence Awards Gala, recognizing 60 finalists across 10 categories and putting a spotlight on organizations demonstrating leadership, innovation and measurable results.
The evening will also introduce the Retail Sustainable Leader Awards, recognizing Kathleen McLaughlin and Fisk Johnson, Chairman and CEO of SC Johnson, for their leadership in advancing sustainability within global retail and consumer products.
With more than 600 retailers, manufacturers, suppliers, sustainability professionals, government representatives and other industry stakeholders expected to participate, the conference brings together perspectives that don’t always sit at the same table, giving attendees ideas and relationships they can put to work right away.
