Retail Sustainability Framework
The Retail Sustainability Framework helps retail and commercial teams within the cultural sector embed sustainable practices into their operations.
The Framework is comprised of an introduction and fourteen separate resources, including downloadable templates, tips, and strategies to empower teams to take action at their own pace, setting their own sustainability goals in alignment with their organisational priorities.
What’s included:
- Sustainability Mission, Policy and Goal Setting Templates
- A Guide to Understanding the Circular Economy
- Top Tips for Improving your Packaging
- Top Tips for Sustainable Product Design
- How to Evaluate your Products and Packaging
- Supplier Sustainability Questionnaire
- Supplier Sustainability, Ethical and Environmental Policy and Agreement
- Materials Index
To access the Framework you need to be a member of Cultural Enterprises. Follow the links to the right where you will be prompted to login to your account. The Introduction is free to everyone.
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Sign up to our Sustainable Retail Pledge, it takes less than 2 minutes. Tell us if you’re going to be using any of the resources in the Retail Sustainability Framework so we can help build a national picture of positive action.
Discover More
Sustainability Mission, Policy and Goal Setting Templates
A Guide to Understanding the Circular Economy
Top Tips for Improving your Packaging
Top Tips for Sustainable Product Design
How to Evaluate your Products and Packaging
Supplier Sustainability Questionnaire
Supplier Sustainability, Ethical and Environmental Policy and Agreement
Materials Index
Discover case studies, best practices, expert tips, and actionable strategies to empower your team. Set your sustainability goals and take action—at your own pace.
Which roles?
Retail buyers, designers, product developers and merchandisers
Retail managers and supervisors
Commercial and sustainability leads at cultural organisations and visitor attractions
What type of retail?
Both physical and online retail operations
What type of retail operation?
Small to medium-sized organisations and teams with limited resources will likely find the Framework especially valuable.
These groups often do not have dedicated staff or extensive budgets for environmental responsibility, so the Framework is designed to offer accessible solutions and easy-to-implement actions that can make a meaningful impact.
Our key recommendations for taking action are:
1. Create a Sustainable Mission and Policy if you don’t already have them
2. Then create Sustainable Goals & KPIs for your team
3. Review packaging, and shipping to identify where you can make the biggest impact within your available resources
4. Implement a Supplier Questionnaire and Supplier Agreement with your supply chain
1. Prioritising decarbonisation efforts where they can have the biggest impact
2. Inform decision making across product ranges
3. Collaborate with suppliers to reduce emissions & decarbonise the supply chain
4. Encourage innovation and new income streams
5. Drive positive change through leveraging your buying power
6. Engage and encourage employees to reduce emissions
7. Communicate on progress made to external customers and internal stakeholders
8. Contribute to a global movement toward achieving Net Zero
This Framework helps cultural organisations start or advance their journey toward more sustainable retail operations. Designed to empower teams, it enables them to set sustainability goals at their own pace, aligned with their organisation’s priorities.
Scope
The Framework covers the entire retail process—from product sourcing and supply chains to packaging, postage, and customer communication. While it doesn’t include direct measurement of greenhouse gases, we provide recommendations for conducting carbon audits. A basic understanding of climate change is assumed, but for newcomers, we recommend an introductory article from the BBC.
The authors would like to thank members of the Cultural Enterprises Sustainability Working Group for their invaluable feedback and support.
The retail sustainability framework is an outstanding piece of work…I am already using it on a day-to-day basis. I’ve already written a policy using it and…for me it is another example of the incredible benefits the Association offers, completing months of research for our benefit – it’s very much appreciated!
Matthew Henderson, Trustee of Cultural Enterprises and Freelancer.
Not a Member? Get Access to the Framework
Join the Association for Cultural Enterprises and your entire organisation benefits from free access to the Sustainability Framework, future templates and resources, and a host of other benefits.