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Search The second day of the Sustainable Retail Summit 2025 (SRS) reinforced that sustainability is a continuous process that requires businesses to adapt, innovate, and collaborate. As regulatory pressures grow and consumer expectations shift, the retail sector is increasingly focused on practical solutions that integrate sustainability into everyday operations.
Through insightful discussions, CEO perspectives, and case studies, today’s sessions explored key areas such as net zero strategies, food waste reduction, circular economy models, and the role of human rights in sustainable business practices. Here are the highlights from today’s programme.
Leaders at the Forefront in Shared Responsibility
The day opened with a welcome from Imke van Gasselt, VP Health & Sustainable Diets, Ahold Delhaize, and Christine Montenegro McGrath, Senior Vice President and Chief Impact & Sustainability Officer, Mondelēz International, emphasising the Consumer Goods Forum’s (CGF) commitment to driving sustainability progress through industry collaboration. They highlighted that businesses are moving beyond ambition to implementation, embedding sustainability into their long-term strategies.
In the CEO Panel, Ken Murphy, Group CEO, Tesco, and Hein Schumacher, CEO, Unilever, reflected on how cross-industry partnerships are shaping efforts to reduce emissions, combat food waste, and advance sustainable packaging.
Ken Murphy, Group CEO, Tesco, observed that:
“You can’t afford to lose sight of your commitments to each of your stakeholders. And the planet is very clearly integrated into those commitments. It doesn’t sit alongside. It’s not a nice to do.“
Hein Schumacher, CEO, Unilever, reinforced the importance of systemic , noting that:
“Collaboration is key to systemic change. And you cannot achieve your goals if you don’t drive systemic change.“
From Ambition to Action: Bain & Company on the Future of Sustainability
The session from Bain & Company, led by Caroline Jean and Harry Morrison, Partners, focused on practical steps for businesses to align sustainability with commercial success.
They introduced the “shields and swords” approach, urging companies to prioritise actions that protect their license to operate – such as meeting net zero targets and regulatory requirements – while investing in areas that drive business value, like supply chain transparency and circular economy solutions.
Recognising high costs as a barrier to scaling sustainable technologies, they advised businesses to identify key innovations, accelerate learning curves, and advocate for policy support, pointing to wind and solar energy’s success as a model for cost reductions.
Innovation in Circular Business Models
A session on sustainable packaging brought together leaders from Carrefour, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, the Plastics Initiative, Henkel Consumer Brands, SYSTEMIQ and The Coca-Cola Company to explore how reuse, refill, and circular economy models are evolving.
The Golden Design Rules (GDRs) were highlighted as a widely adopted industry approach to reducing plastic waste while maintaining efficiency and consumer convenience. The panel shared tangible examples of progress in sustainable packaging, including Henkel’s transition to bottles with 50% post-consumer recycled (PCR) content and Coca-Cola’s switch to clear Sprite bottles, which improve recyclability.
Challenges in scaling reuse models and addressing flexible packaging were also discussed, with a call for collective action and policy support to drive systemic change. Consumer-centric design and the role of retailers in shaping sustainable choices were emphasised as key to industry transformation.
Sander Defruyt, Lead of Strategy and Thought Leadership in the Plastics Initiative, Ellen MacArthur Foundation, noted:
“Let’s think what’s the best system that we can build for the industry at large. If we can make that mindset shift in these collaborations, I think we can make progress way faster than we’ve done to date.“
Decarbonisation in Retail: Aligning Climate Goals with Business Growth
An interactive session on decarbonisation led by change-makers from Ahold Delhaize and PepsiCo engaged industry attendees on how the consumer goods industry can reduce Scope 3 emissions while maintaining efficiency across supply chains.
The discussion provided an update on the Towards Net Zero coalition’s progress, focusing on supplier engagement, knowledge sharing, and data harmonisation. Notable achievements include the release of harmonised supplier metrics and masterclasses on decarbonising key value chains.
While barriers were highlighted such as policy instability, data complexity and financing constraints, key enablers were the focus including standardised policies, improved business cases and upstream-downstream collaboration. Examples of impactful projects included PepsiCo’s partnership with Yara to decarbonise fertiliser use and a regenerative agriculture pilot in the US.
The discussion underscored the importance of accountability and performance-based incentives for suppliers. Innovative ideas, such as a B2B food waste dating app and supplier incentives linked to decarbonisation progress, were explored as potential solutions to accelerate impact.
Archana Jagannathan, Chief Sustainability Officer, PepsiCo, emphasised the unique opportunity we have to collaboratively integrate climate considerations into broader business strategy, stating:
“This is the only forum where we have retailers and manufacturers and the value chain together in the same room, with a wealth of knowledge to drive collective impact.“
Human Rights & Business Responsibility
The human rights panel, featuring member companies Sainsbury’s and McDonald’s alongside Fair Labor Association (FLA) and the World Benchmarking Alliance , focused on how companies can integrate ethical labour practices into their sustainability strategies.
Speakers shared examples of how businesses are adapting to regulatory changes and ensuring that efforts to reduce emissions and improve supply chain transparency also consider worker protections and social responsibility.
Rachel Elliott, General Manager Sustainability – Impact Narrative & Human Rights, Woolworths Group, highlighted that:
“There is no silver bullet. Anyone who tells you there is, is lying. But I think it’s important, at least for our program, to have complementary and compensating control.”
Key Takeaways: Driving Systemic Change Through a Business-Driven Approach to Sustainability
As Day 2 of SRS 2025 concluded, discussions reinforced that sustainability is about action, adaptation, and collaboration. There was a clear focus on how businesses are embedding sustainability into operations, managing risk and responding to changing consumer and regulatory expectations.
Themes throughout the day showcased how industry leaders are identifying commercially viable sustainability solutions, building resilience and shaping the future of the consumer goods industry.
The dialogue continues tomorrow as SRS 2025 explores the next phase of sustainability leadership – turning insights into scalable and impactful business practices.
