Stocking sustainable products is not just a passing fad; bringing eco-friendly products into Australian retailers’ offerings is beneficial for both retailers and consumers.
The AGHA Melbourne Gift Fair is encouraging top Australian buyers to consider stocking eco-friendly products by featuring several sustainability-led wholesalers at the August event, as well as featuring a Business & Breakfast session on how businesses can most effectively embrace sustainability, particularly around new regulations in packaging.
It’s vital for retailers to make sure they are stocking the right products and marketing them in the right way, according to Bonnie Marshall, communications manager at the National Retail Association.
Marshall will be presenting a Business & Breakfast session for Melbourne Gift Fair attendees on sustainability topics from the Australasian recycling label and national packaging targets, to ensuring sustainable swaps are actually best practice for business.
“Consumers are now looking for more sustainable practice―we know that there is a big push on saving energy and emissions,” she says.
“But retailers need to make sure they are putting best practices in place and engaging with experts when making those big business decisions.
“When retailers are purchasing, they should avoid things that make claims that they can’t substantiate. For example, claiming they are biodegradable or compostable if you can’t prove that. Make sure you’re considering contamination, complying with state and territory laws and packaging standards, and also looking where you can save money and stock.”
Sustainable practice isn’t something that can be simply ignored over the next few years. Marshall warns that there are many changes on the horizon for retailers.
“The packaging landscape will completely change. From state and territory bans, food waste to the big push towards net zero and zero emissions, all of those factors come into sustainability, which will play a huge role for business in the next couple of years.”
Freyja Tasci, founder of Apiwraps Beeswax Wraps, has built a loyal community of #zerowasteheroes by placing sustainability at the forefront. Now with products stocked in 700+ stores across Australia, she emphasises that taking small steps towards reusable and eco-friendly products can have a large impact on the contribution to waste in the nation.
“Looking over the statistics on how much waste we create per person in Australia is discouraging,” she says.
“As an educated and progressive nation, we have the capacity to make that an embarrassing little side note in history books. Sustainable products offer the individual a way to act immediately. We might not be able to change Australia’s reliance on fossil fuels today, but we can switch to zero waste lunch boxes easily, right here and now.
“Retailers’ range influences and informs their customers, and together we can all make a difference to the huge quantities of landfill created every day.”
If you’re interested in heading to the Melbourne Gift Fair to check out 300+ wholesale exhibitors and attend a Business & Breakfast session, visit the website for more details.
