By: Wendy Evans, Hersch Jacobs, Leigh Sparks, Marion Denney, Kernaghan Webb, Marc Vilanova

The term 'greening retail' refers to the programming and adoption of environmentally friendly practices within the group of activities that surround the manufacture, distribution and consumption of goods and services.  Due to the sheer size and scope of the retail industry even small improvements in environmental performance and energy consumption can have a major impact on the industry's environmental footprint.  This report presents findings from Phase II of a major greening retail research project.  Phase I of the study, published in 2007, outlined the greening retail opportunities for retailers and their suppliers.  It marked out the potential pathways that retailers could follow to lessen their environmental impact.  Phase II builds on the findings from the previous study and presents insights from a series of in-depth case studies of a subset of major retail firms from around the world.  This report showcases and compares environmental practices of these selected retailers.  It provides other retailers, their suppliers and the consumers that they serve with the realized benefits of greening retail initiatives.