![\"Trends\"](\"http:\/\/rai.net.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/Trends.jpg\")
<\/a><\/em><\/p>\nAs one of the most notable evolutions of the past decade, consumers have become progressively more concerned about their environmental and the collateral social impact on communities. Sustainable retailing, also called ‘green-tailing’, is rapidly becoming a core consideration and retailers are having to adopt TBL as part of their business practice.<\/p>\n
Starbucks leads the way by being awarded The World Environment Center Gold Medal for Sustainable Development in the specialty coffee industry for contributing positively to their communities and environment. Having adopted Green-tail Design in their stores they use the 3Rs to create fabulous looking LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified sustainable stores. The famous Time Square store, inspired by the rich history of the area’s Theatre District, uses\u00a0 100 per cent LED lamps for its theatrical lighting with 40 per cent lower consumption. The Starbucks store at Church & Gerrard in Toronto has 75 per cent waste diversion from landfill, 30 per cent water usage reduction, 25 per cent energy optimization, 90 per cent of the store is naturally lit with daylight and the interior uses locally reclaimed art d\u00e9cor creating a unique coffee drinking experience for customers. Starbucks’ green-tail design approach to sustainability is not just company policy; it is an effort that inspires customers and restaurateurs around the world.<\/p>\n Timberland is the first company to be awarded LEED Gold certification for mall-based stores. They extend their sustainbility commitment into their products with a ‘Cradle to Cradle’ concept (reusing and recyling of raw materials) in the Earth Keeper selection of footwear that are made with recycled rubber soles, organic canvas linings and leather designed to be deconstructed and recycled. The great looking Timberland stores have non-negotiable sustainable store design policies. Their stores are constructed using 100 per cent\u00a0 reclaimed lumber, 100 per cent repurposed stockroom shelving, reduced water usage by 50 per cent, 90 per cent of equipment and appliances installed are Energy Star eligible and 50-90 per cent of the construction waste on site is recycled. Their green-tail design policy is demonstrated in the Chennai store furniture, cash counter and the ornate door\u00a0 which are made from reclaimed wood.<\/p>\n UK retailer Marks & Spencer announced what it called Plan A (during the launch their staff wore T-shirts that read, \u201cThere is no Plan B\u201d!) to become the world’s most sustainable major retailer by 2015 and since then about 75 per cent of their stores were certified sustainable. Amongst them is a remarkable 195,000 sft ‘daylight sustainable’ store on the outskirts of London with\u00a0 an\u00a0 intriguing ‘wave’ style roof designed and constructed from over 1400 m\u00b3 of 100 per cent\u00a0 certified sustainable timber beams which maximized the best use of indirect natural light. Demonstrating green-tail design the building components were prefabricated to minimize waste and recycle materials salvaged from the building’s demolition.<\/p>\n<\/a>One big impact of TBL is the significant change in the approach to design and development of retail environments and is evolving to be called \u2018Green-tail Design\u2019<\/strong>. This approach endeavors to reduce the ‘Carbon Footprint<\/strong>‘ (the total set of greenhouse gas emissions caused by the retailer) of stores by carefully managing consumption of energy and non-renewable materials using the 3Rs of sustainability-‘Reduce, Reuse and Recycle<\/strong>‘. Amidst the race for profitability, some retailers stand out of the crowd by committing to reduce their carbon footprint using path breaking Sustainable Green-tail Design strategies with inspiring world class execution to attain not just cost efficiency but great differentiated brand experience.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>Anthropologie is a US chain of fashion stores that offer an innovative and eclectic mix of arty sustainable\u00a0 merchandise in a sustainable store environment. The Lifestyle merchandising brand has a history of offering economically sustainable products from non-profit and fair trade organizations in the developing world like Cowl made in Rwanda or the Perfect Skippers Necklace handcrafted by artisans in Ecuador. Anthropologie’s famous store presentations and windows installations use creative sustainable recycled\/reclaimed materials to prove that, when practicing 3Rs, you don’t need a huge budget to create eye-catching displays and in-store settings.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>In November 2011, M&S opened its first international sustainable learning store at Phoenix Market City Mall in Bangalore. The 20,000 square-foot store features 15 per cent less energy efficient lighting, energy efficient air conditioning, water saving technology and high levels of construction recycled waste demonstrating the profitable use of\u00a0 the 3Rs of sustainability.<\/p>\n<\/a>Luxury brands too have been busy implementing sustainability initiatives. Since 1992 the LVMH group that owns prestigeous brands like Louis Vuitton, Kenzo, Fendi, Mark Jacobs and Bulgari takes pride in being the most transparent luxury goods company working to implement sustainability principles in production, packaging, shipment and energy consumption. In their large installations solar panels have been\u00a0 installed to meet 31 per cent of the electricity requirements. Recently Loius Vuitton\u00a0 installed a green makeover on their store fa\u00e7ade. Called \u201cTopiade\u201d, designed by Gregory Polleta and Sung Yang of Gas Design Group, the installation is a lay-over facade structure designed to enable the renewal of an existing retail store building without major reconstructions. The vertical garden of\u00a0 living greenery planted onto the front and side walls of flagship stores symbolizes its commitment to green-tail design.<\/p>\n