SUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION IN THE U.S.: A CONSUMER FACING ANALYSIS OF STRATEGIES AND BUSINESS MODELS IN THE RETAIL INDUSTRY

Abstract

The RILA (Retail Industry Leaders Association) Department of Sustainability tasked the Duke team with exploring and defining sustainable consumption and production in the next generation of the U.S. retail market. The Duke team focused on identifying the opportunities for retailers to monetize, adopt and leverage these newly developing business models in a circular economy space. The team worked closely with nine leading RILA brands (Coca-Cola, The Home Depot, Ikea, REI, Target, Unilever, VF Corp, Walgreens, Whole Foods) to i) conduct research to develop a framework for consumer-facing, sustainable consumption initiatives and ii) create a set of criteria and industry best practices to identify gaps and barriers for strategy implementation opportunities. Next, the Duke team examined the feasibly of a collaborative materials marketplace at the regional level (North Carolina Research Triangle) and executed a materials process analysis through the retail value chain to examine specific material flows and feedstock dynamics.