China-headquartered online marketplace Temu has appointed Clarity Environmental to support its UK packaging and waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) compliance work in the UK.
Temu said the appointment will support the business in strengthening its approach to compliance with the UK’s extended producer responsibility (EPR) frameworks.
Clarity, which lists Primark parent company Associated British Foods, tea brand PG Tips, and fashion and homeware retailer Matalan as clients, will support Temu with relevant registration, data reporting and compliance processes relating to applicable UK EPR regulations.
As we often report on Green Retail World, no retailer is sustainable per se – each leaving an environmental footprint due to the nature of business. Temu is often criticised by ‘green’ campaigners for its significant use of air freight to deliver low-priced goods directly from Chinese manufacturers to consumers around the world.
Type “sustainability” or “environment” into Temu’s UK customer support search facility and no answers are returned, although the company does run a tree-planting programme with Trees for the Future, which it said is primarily funded by users who donate by clicking ‘Donate to Trees for the Future’ at checkout.
Also, Temu reported that it has now established partnerships with more than 60 producer responsibility organisations across Europe, spanning packaging, electrical and electronic equipment, batteries and other regulated waste streams.
A spokesperson for the retailer said: “Working with Clarity Environmental helps strengthen our existing approach to EPR compliance in the UK.
Martin Trigg-Knight, chief commercial officer at Clarity Environmental, added: “Producer responsibility requirements are complex and continue to evolve.
“Our role is to provide Temu with the specialist support and compliance services needed to understand and fulfil its relevant packaging and WEEE obligations in the UK.”
[image credit: Green Retail World]
