Why Sustainability Matters Now
Last week I was involved in a fireside chat at CRN's Sustainability in Tech Summit alongside our Head of Sustainability Steve Fendley. It was a great opportunity to reflect on the results that we have achieved to-date and the positive impact it has had on our business, and the environment.
Attending the summit and similar events provides a great opportunity to meet people that want to bring about change in their respective industries and to discuss exciting technologies in the pipeline. Focussing in on sustainability as a talking point has demonstrated how important it is to carefully consider our higher-level priorities when making procurement decisions, policy changes, design considerations and vendor selections.
Tackling the Tough Questions
During the fireside chat, the audience raised questions on ethically sourcing solar panels, sustainability in IT procurement and even using electrical vehicles that Steve and I thoroughly enjoyed talking through together. It was a great opportunity for us to work together and share our vision for the East of England Co-op.
Technology: Fast-Paced, Problem-Solving, Essential
Technological advancement in retail is exciting and fast-paced and as Technology Officer, I'm invested in researching and sourcing the best solutions to meet our business needs. Problem solving is a big part of my job, whether it's looking into the best way to lower our carbon emissions, improving our customers' shopping experience or finding ways to become more efficient. As a team, we strive to meet our goals and improve our co-op while remaining true to our values.
Partnerships That Transform
I feel fortunate to work with likeminded people that play to their individual strengths across our co-op, including Steve, and through business partnerships that share my drive to keep us ahead of the curve in a fierce retail landscape. Our partnership with Pricer has allowed us to introduce Electronic Shelf Labels (ESLs) into our entire Food estate and it has had a huge impact on the working lives of our in-store colleagues with real-time price updates.
Smart Solutions That Cut Waste
Technological upgrades can often have multi-faceted benefits too, for instance our partnership with Retail Insight has allowed us to reduce food waste and improve out efficiency further by using AI technology and ESLs. This cloud-based solution allowed us to reduce our food waste through prompted markdown based on data-insight. Nearly 90% of our reduced to clear products are purchased - which is around 50k fewer products going into landfill over a 12-month period.
Technology for a Better Planet
Michaela Strachan rounded off the Sustainability in Tech Summit with how technology has an opportunity to help put right some of the wrongs that have impacted on our planet. She used an example where they are 3D printing coral reefs in the Indian Ocean, which I thought was impressive and inspired hope.
Agility: Our Advantage as a Regional Retailer
Speaking of hope, it can be daunting to compete against national retailers as a regional retailer, but I think our size gives us an opportunity to be early-adopters and innovators when it comes to technology. We are quick to manoeuvre in response to the fast-changing retail landscape, and it is a joy to lead on technology at our co-op.
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