Study Shows That Tesco Is The Most Sustainable Retailer In Malaysia
Tesco beat six other major retailers in the study.
By May Vin Ang — 21 Feb 2020, 01:21 PM
Tesco Stores Sdn Bhd has been named the most environmentally sustainable retailer in Malaysia by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)
To analyse the current state of sustainability in the retail market in the country, WWF Malaysia designed a study in 2019 to evaluate a retailer's performace as well as its sustainability polices and practices.
They created the Sustainable Retailers Scorecard, the first of its kind in Malaysia, to assess top retailers in the country.
Based on the scorecard, the retailers were appraised through a survey questionnaire and multiple interviews
According to Free Malaysia Today, a total of 18 major retailers were contacted by WWF Malaysia to participate in the study, but only seven responded.
The seven retailers were assessed based on five key features:
- Environmental policies,
- Sustainable packaging,
- Sustainable sourcing,
- Waste management, and
- Green initiatives and consumer approaches.
Tesco launched the 'Unforgettable Bag' campaign to encourage customers to reduce single-use plastic bags.
Image via Marketing MagazineTesco emerged as the top scorer with 76%
Tesco's highest score among the five key parameters assessed was in environmental policies, with a total of 95%, excelling in their commitment towards the United Nation Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDG).
However, the results also show that Tesco is still lacking in sustainable sourcing and green initiatives for approaching customers.
Tesco was followed by:
- Aeon Co Bhd (54%),
- AEON Wellness (38%),
- MyNews Holdings Bhd (33%),
- Caring Pharmacy Bhd (29%),
- AEON BiG Sdn Bhd (28%), and
- Econsave Cash & Carry Sdn Bhd (17%).
The results show that all participating retailers were on the path to the adoption of sustainable retailing
The study found that they were aware of and are adopting measures for efficient resource management, reduction of food waste, optimisation of supply chain, and creating customer awareness.
However, it was noted that retailers were still lacking in time-bound commitments and clarity in their goals for more effective sustainable retailing.
The study also showed that commitment to sustainability by the retail industry in Malaysia was still not transparent as many retailers had declined to participate
WWF Malaysia called on consumers to score their preferred retailers on their scorecard for sustainability, and demand them to step up if they were falling behind.
"The world is at a critical stage on the journey to sustainability. Although more major corporations are in the path to sustainability, many have yet to start. This has to change," they wrote on their Facebook page.
