This chapter significantly revises and updates the corresponding chapter in the 4th edition of this book.  Logistical activities are responsible for much of the environmental cost associated with modern retailing, as reflected in the CSR and  environmental statements of large retailers.  There is a strengthening commitment to making retailing genuinely sustainable in both environmental and social terms.  As in other sectors, there is growing corporate awareness of the gravity of the environmental problems confronting the planet, particularly from global warming. As consumers are becoming more environmentally-conscious, retailers’ green credentials are becoming a more important competitive differentiator. Environmental initiatives can generate higher revenues and secure greater customer loyalty. They can also yield cost savings by, for example, cutting energy consumption and packaging waste. By happy coincidence, greening retail operations can represent best business practice both economically and environmentally.  The chapter examines five categories of measure that retailer can apply to cut their logistics-related emissions.  It also focuses on three topical issues: efforts to reduce packaging waste, the carbon auditing and labelling at a product level and the relative carbon footprint of online retailing.

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