Sustainability guide for retail businesses

Supermarket Retail Gettyimages 1322898659
Supermarket Retail Gettyimages 1322898659

Our sustainability guide for retail micro businesses has been designed to help you become more sustainable, cut carbon, save money, and use resources efficiently.

How to use this guide

This guide provides: 

  • Tips specific to retail micro businesses.
  • A glossary of key terms you might want to refer to as you navigate the guide.

For general sustainability advice regarding Utilities, and factsheets full of tips and tricks for measuring and tracking energy, water and waste, visit the guide landing page.

Quick Wins for Greener Retail Operations

For retail store owners and online retail businesses, the biggest opportunities to reduce your impact and create savings will often be through the energy you use and the transport your business needs.

Simple steps, like switching to a green courier service for local deliveries or putting automatic controls on stockroom lights, can go a long way in achieving savings for your business.

Reducing your waste and the amount of water you use can also help to reduce your carbon footprint significantly, so don’t forget to read the general sustainable business guide. Also, if you’re working from home or your store has a back office, our guide to greener office space will be useful.

In this section, you’ll find some more specific tips that will help to improve resource efficiency in your retail business.

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Net Zero Glossary

New to sustainability terms? Our Net Zero Glossary breaks down key terms like Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions, carbon offsetting, and circular economy—so you can feel confident in your journey to net zero.

Explore the glossary and get clear on the language of sustainability.

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Simple steps, like switching to a green courier service for local deliveries or putting automatic controls on stockroom lights, can go a long way in achieving savings for your business.

Reducing your waste and the amount of water you use can also help to reduce your carbon footprint significantly, so don’t forget to read the general sustainable business guide. Also, if you’re working from home or your store has a back office, our guide to greener office space will be useful.

In this section, you’ll find some more specific tips that will help to improve resource efficiency in your retail business.

  • Avoid cluttering shop windows to maximise the natural ligh coming into your store.
  • Minimise lighting that is left on overnight for display and security purposes.
  • Use local/directional lighting to illuminate specific items rather than the whole store.
  • Use occupancy sensors in stock rooms and changing rooms to ensure lights are off when the room is not in use.
  • If you’re selling consumer electronics, ask yourself which display items need to be left on.
  • If you have large refrigerators, or refrigerated rooms/larders, make sure door seals are well maintained and an alarm is fitted to prevent doors from being left open. Strip curtains can also help reduce losses from cold rooms.
  • If you sell fresh produce, ensure fridges are not overfilled so you can maintain safe temperatures with less energy.
  • Ensure refrigerators have enough space around them to ensure good airflow over heat exchange coils and ensure they are appropriately maintained to prevent refrigerant leaks (a significant cause of global warming).
  • If possible, keep all perishable items in a separate refrigeration unit from the non-perishable items so that the latter can be switched off when your store is closed.
  • Encourage staff to wear jumpers rather than increase the in-store temperature (but don’t exceed the recommended minimum of 16ºC).
  • Ensure delivery doors are closed when not being used. Use alarms or posters to remind staff and couriers, and install strip curtains if free movement is essential.
  • If you must have an open-door policy, only keep doors open during busy periods, or install strip curtains.
  • Set in-store temperatures to take account of outdoor temperatures. In winter, you may be able to reduce the store temperature if customers are wearing warmer clothing.
  • Ensure you have the appropriate recycling bins in your stock room to encourage staff to separate waste from delivery packaging.
  • Replace plastic carrier bags with FSC-certified paper alternatives, and offer discounts for customers who bring their own or sell reusable bags for life.
  • Consider using durable wooden hangers for clothing, and don’t give them away unless the customer specifically asks for them.
  • Install self-closing store doors to prevent doors from being left ajar and letting in unnecessary outside air.
  • Consider installing warm air ‘curtains’ (using downward-facing blower heaters) at store entrances. This is more economical than heating your whole building.
  • On open chiller cabinets, use pull-down reflective blinds or covers at night and when the store is closed to minimise the loss of refrigerated air.
  • Speak to suppliers about consolidating stock deliveries to reduce the transport miles associated with your products.
  • If you deliver products to customers, use sustainable vehicles or couriers that use them, such as electric vehicles and bicycles.
  • Ask your waste contractor if there are specific collections that can improve your recycling rate (e.g. textiles, food waste and e-waste)
  • Try to select suppliers that actively mitigate their environmental impacts and ethically source their products.
  • Consider retrofitting transparent doors to chiller cabinets to keep in chilled air when not in use. Where cabinets are regularly used, retrofit ‘aerofoil’ shelf-edge devices, preventing chilled air from leaking.
  • Signing up to become a collection point for certain types of waste (e.g. plastic bags/films and textiles) can be a great way to show your commitment to sustainability to your customers, and boost your footfall at the same time
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Useful resources to accelerate action

We have a range of resources available for organisations on their net zero journey.

Net Zero Toolkit Dark Green

Net zero toolkit

Access resources to guide you through the process to net zero to help your business reduce carbon, improve its environmental credentials and save money. 

Explore guide

Carbon Calculator Dark Green

Carbon Calculator for Retail Businesses

Running a shop or retail business? Find out where your biggest emissions come from—whether it’s lighting, heating, deliveries, or packaging.

Use our free carbon calculator to measure your footprint and start making smarter, more sustainable choices.

Get started

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Net Zero Consultancy for Retail

Looking to cut costs and carbon in your retail business? Our expert consultants provide tailored support to help shops and retail micro businesses reduce emissions, improve energy efficiency, and build a more sustainable operation.

Find out how our consultancy services can help you take practical steps toward net zero.

Explore services