The retail industry has been making efforts to become more sustainable over the past 20 years, yet only recently has sustainability been elevated from “nice-to-have” and opportunistic initiatives to a mission critical topic able to bring true strategic advantages to business models. Currently the sustainability agenda has surfaced on top of the list of strategic business priorities, from a consumer, environmental and competitive perspective. This is fuelled by changing and more demanding legislation as well. The EU’s “Green Deal” aims for climate neutrality by 2050, significantly impacting textile and retail industries. Numerous regulations are already underway, particularly within the textile sector.
Making merchandise sustainable is one side of the coin, however the whole network of suppliers and partners needs to collaborate to make a true impact in this aspect.
This is where Sensormatic comes into play. Sensormatic Solutions built its portfolio on a foundation of sustainability. For decades, we focused on prioritizing responsible retail practices while leveraging innovative technology and meeting retailers’ evolving needs. Recent advancements in manufacturing processes and material options helped us to develop a new, sustainable Acousto-Magnetic (AM) label designed to protect merchandise and the planet: the Sustainable SPX label. With the new patent-pending label, we replaced previous polystyrene with renewable, Forest Stewardship Council (FSCTM)-certified material, ultimately helping retailers with their sustainability objectives while safeguarding against shrink.
We purposefully decided to focus on plastic-free solution rather than recycled plastic for a more positive impact on the environment. Our new label is therefore:
• Designed to reduce environmental impact. The label is over 90% plastic-free, fabricated using eco-friendly manufacturing processes, and shipped in recyclable packaging.
• Protect high-risk items without impacting customer experiences. The label’s versatile design enables retailers to effectively protect difficult-to-tag items, without the friction that comes with locks or cases.
The above is just the latest example of how Sensormatic leads the change toward a more sustainable retail future. However, sustainability has always been a focus for Sensormatic, and it’s woven into its processes and facilities, products, solutions, and services – such as:
• Sensormatic’s EAS Synergy systems consume 50% less power than earlier models and feature a “power save” mode that can result in 30% less energy use per 12-hour store day
• Our technologies provide retailers with real-time insights to help make smarter decisions about stores and properties, including when to adjust hours for maximum occupancy to save energy and water, as well as reduce CO2 from wasted trips to stores that are not properly staffed or where inventory is unavailable
• Visual Source Tags Recirculation (VSTR) initiative with 11.4billion tags recirculated since the program’s inception in 2010
We believe that a meaningful change begins with one action, and many of our retail customers are looking at their suppliers and partners to support them on the journey. Our new labels, alongside with the array of other solutions, can give retailers an easy, accessible way to do their part to protect the planet and move the needle on helping reduce environmental impact while maintaining precision loss prevention.