By Hersch Jacobs

The following report considers the evolution of green retailing in order to provide an overview of this practice.  It is intended primarily to be a source of sources, a guide that can direct users to the information about the wide range of issues that comprise this complex topic.  Among the themes that are examined, it 

• provides an operational definition of terms and tracks and accounts for the growth of the phenomenon
• distinguishes between green and traditional forms of retailing in terms of how products are developed, tested, manufactured, packaged, marketed, distributed and promoted
• details corporate green strategies by reviewing corporate policies and practices that reflect environmental concerns and considers their beneficial and detrimental impacts
• examines the role of government in fostering responsible behaviour through the creation of appropriate regulatory environments
• attempts to draw conclusions about the significance and persistence of the phenomenon at the sectoral and subsectoral levels of the industry
• provides retailers with a guide to resources that are available to support environmental initiatives
• surveys consumer environmental attitudes and behaviour