The agenda for IRX and eDX 2024 has been announced – and there a plenty of greener retailing nuggets to check out for those planning on attending NEC Birmingham on 22-23 May.
And you can register your attendance here
I’m proud to be an ambassador for the event again, following my role promoting the conference and then moderating a panel session with two fantastic retailers in 2023.
With this year’s event fast approaching, it feels like an ideal time to highlight the top five greener retailing things I think people should look out for when attending the two-day showpiece in the West Midlands.
1. Presentation from Cook’s chief creative officer James Rutter
Cook’s chief creative officer James Rutter is running a session called ‘Steal with pride: 10 ideas to nick from Cook’.
The frozen ready meals retailer was one of the first businesses in the UK to become a B-Corp back in 2013 before joining the Business Declares movement in 2018, making it one of the first corporates to officially acknowledge the climate emergency. With that in mind, any ideas attendees do ‘nick’ from Rutter will be from a business operating in a purposeful way and with planet welfare high up the agenda.
Where to find it: 10:35am – 11:00am, Wednesday 22 May
2. Roundtable: Exploring customer preferences for sustainable delivery alternatives
One of several roundtables taking place at IRX and eDX in 2024 is ‘Beyond home delivery: Exploring customer preferences for sustainable delivery alternatives’ which will give attendees a chance to delve deep into a key issue related to commerce’s efforts to reduce its carbon footprint.
As ever with this topic, talking points will surely turn to why customers say they want one thing but then do something completely different. Businesses are starting to realise they have a responsibility to set the agenda when it comes to more sustainable delivery options.
Where to find it: 11:30am – 12:30pm, Thursday 23 May
3. Simon Payne from Sole Responsibility
Sole Responsibility and co-founder Simon Payne are friends of Green Retail World, so we know Payne’s session on day two of the conference will be worth attending.
The business specialises in the resale, and takeback, of seconds – which means diverting clothing and footwear otherwise classed as waste from landfill or incineration. Such a service assists retailers and brands in reaching their zero-waste-to-landfill targets, while keeping good stock in circulation for longer.
Tune in to Payne’s session if you want to find out more about Sole Responsibility.
Where to find it: 1:10pm – 1:55pm, Thursday 23 May
4. Former Asos sustainability boss Simon Platts on a panel
Ex-Asos sustainability boss Simon Platts, who is now a sustainability consultant and start-up founder, joins an illustrious panel on the first day of IRX to discuss the topic ‘Connecting through values: how to build customer trust and loyalty’.
Those attending the panel debate will have a chance to quiz Platts on the importance of retailers focusing their efforts on environmental initiatives, and whether the future of fashion is more circular. The company Platts co-founded last year, Recomme, is starting to play an influential role in the discussion.
Other panellists are: Emily Maddox, sales manager of tech company Insider; Johnpaul Manning, managing director of retailer Insulation4Less; and Thomas Panton, founder and CEO of Canopey, a business that brings verified, sustainable products together under one roof to help make it easier for consumers to shop ‘green’.
Panton is also running his own session on “excellence in consumer connection” at 4pm.
Where to find the panel: 1:10pm – 1:55pm, Wednesday 22 May
5. Warehousing and fulfilment in focus
A panel with Linzi McGrady-Ciesluk, operations analyst at Arbonne International, Sarah O’Reilly, chief operating officer at Ayu Cosmetics, and Hannah Parshotam, operations manager at Suri will discuss the following big talking points:
- How can retailers best measure sustainability in fulfilment and warehousing and what is the benchmark to aim for?
- What are the most sustainable practices in warehouse design and operations which retailers should be migrating to?
- What is the most sustainable way for stock to be stored?
- Should retailers prioritise implementing solar and other renewable energy sources within warehouses?
- How can we minimise scope 3 emissions and create a greener supply chain?
- What are the most eco-friendly packaging solutions for reduced environmental impact?
- How can the increased costs associated with more sustainable packaging methods and warehouse operations reasonably be offset without impacting customers?
Where to find it: 1:10pm – 1:55pm, Wednesday 22 May
There are many more speakers on the agenda, covering all aspects of e-commerce and delivery – check out the full list here.
And you can check out the full list of exhibitors here.
Other green-thinking sessions worth attending include:
2:50pm – 3:15pm, Wednesday 22 May: Katy Richmond, cross border operations manager at PoleJunkieLTD, on greener packaging practices.
3:20pm – 3:45pm, Wednesday 22 May: Tim Davies, head of DPD pick-up, on the future of delivery and sustainability.
It promises to be another insightful two days in Birmingham, giving attendees access to the latest e-commerce solutions that can help transform their business as well as in-depth information on some of the most pressing industry matters of the day. And, importantly from our perspective, it’s a chance to continue discussions around sustainability in retail.
Sign up to IRX and eDX 2024 here
[Main image credit: Green Retail World]
