SUSTAINABILITY: A GAME CHANGER FOR THE RETAIL

 As retailers dodge through different stages of brand development, they are increasingly shifting their focus and directing their strategies and investment towards sustainability. What has caused this major shift? The answer lies in the expectations of the consumers, investors, and stakeholders. 

Retailers are answerable to them for the environmental impact of their products; transparency is crucial. Moreover, Covid19 has also shifted the focus and preferences toward sustainability. At the COP26 Summit (November 2021), India promised to reduce carbon emissions to ‘net zero’ by 2070. In fact, our country aims to cut carbon emissions by 1 million tonnes in the next ten years.

What’s inevitable then? The answer is simple. The brands are more focussed on sourcing eco-friendly materials for their products to ensure reduced carbon emissions and make a positive impact on the consumers.

As we all are aware, signage can have a significant impact for any brand in the market. Now, there are countless ways to create signage. The question arises, what’s good for the environment? Well, from the conception of the product to packaging, signage gives a much broader scope to adopt sustainable and eco-friendly business practices.

LED lighting

Low-voltage LED lighting for signage is both energy efficient and cost-effective. It can provide the best colour-changing accents and hues.

Flatbed printing

Flatbed printing is considered to be more sustainable as it produces less waste cartridges. Also, since no printing plates or silkscreens are required, flatbed printing is considered more economical. The ink used for flatbed printing has less harmful chemicals.

Recycle & Reuse

One of the best ways to be sustainable is to use reclaimed waste materials. Manufacturers can also use certain materials in their signages that can be recycled in the future and used again. This would especially reduce the carbon footprint and have a positive impact on the environment.

As sustainability reaches its pinnacle, the demand for environmentally friendly raw materials has increased manifold. Since the motto is to ‘go green’, companies can opt for some of the most impressive environment friendly materials for signage options.

Wood

It’s not that you always have to cut down trees to use wood! As long businesses are sourcing the wood by sustainable means, there is no harm in using it. 

Bamboo

Technically, bamboo is a grass; but, it can be a fantastic sustainable signage material. Bamboo can be grown easily and once cut down, it grows back within a few days. So, there would be no issue with material supply. Bamboo absorbs carbon dioxide, making it one of the most eco-friendly raw materials for signage.

Aluminium

It is one of the most lightweight but extremely durable materials. In addition, aluminium can be recycled multiple times without tarnishing its quality. Thus, aluminium can be considered as one of the most environmentally friendly options for signage.

Polypropylene

Polypropylene is another eco-friendly durable material that can be used for signages. It is rigid and water resistant , but does not contain PVC. In this way, it is more sustainable than plastic or other harmful materials.

Here it is also important to mention that the materials used for packaging of the products must be sustainable, biodegradable, non-toxic and compostable. When it comes to packaging, businesses should focus on recycling and reuse. This enables brands to minimise the negative impact on the environment and gain support of the consumers.https://www.agx.in/sustainability-a-game-changer-for-the-retail/