LONDON, 2015-10-7 — /EPR Retail News/ — Today, the Scottish Retail Consortium is launching the second of four policy papers setting out the key priorities of the retail industry for each of the political parties ahead of the 2016 Scottish Parliament election.
The retail industry has played a leading role in driving resource efficiency and helping to mitigate and adapt to the environmental challenges of climate change through a wide range of measures as set out in the publication including, reducing carbon emissions from stores by 30%, phasing out HFC refrigerants by the end of 2015 and reducing the proportion of waste sent to landfill to 7% with a view to reducing this to less than 1% by 2020.
In order to build further on the progress already made by the industry, retailers have set out 8 key environmental priorities for each of the political parties ranging from reform of business rates to incentivise and support positive environmental and energy efficiency investment to supporting a harmonised local authority recycling collection scheme and making it easier to shift freight from road to rail.
The industry has also outlined its opposition to the suggested new nation-wide deposit return scheme, which would disproportionately penalise the disadvantaged consumer, undermine existing kerbside recycling, increase carbon emissions through extra consumer journeys and retailer haulage operations and place significant costs on business.
Commenting on the launch of the manifesto paper David Martin, Head of Policy & External Affairs said:
“The retail industry has a massive footprint and direct involvement in communities right across Scotland. With this comes a responsibility to operate in a sustainable way that ensures retailers can continue to serve those communities in the most efficient way possible.
“We are therefore delighted to be launching this paper which establishes the retail industry in Scotland amongst the most climate-conscious industries and as a true global leader in reducing the environmental impacts of both their own direct operations and supporting change right along the supply chain.
“We hope that each of the political parties will consider and support in their manifestos each of the policy priorities we have outlined and which are crucial in supporting the retail industry to go even further in creating a better retailing climate.”
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Notes to editors:
1. The paper which summarises key achievements of the retail industry and sets out 8 key policy priorities can be accessed 
here
For media enquiries please contact David Martin, Head of Policy & External Affairs, on 07880 039 743 or email david.martin@brc.org.uk
British Retail Consortium, 21 Dartmouth Street, Westminster, London, SW1H 9BP. 020 7854 8900. info@brc.org.uk.