Project Earth at Selfridges

It’s fair to conclude that environmental initiatives might have slid off the top of the agenda for retailers in 2020, with grocery operators instead confronting panic buying and a big shift online and non-food retailers struggling with enforced closures followed by weak footfall.

It was therefore heartening to pop into London department store Selfridges this week to take a look at some of the features of their ‘Project Earth’ initiative – “the most exciting design innovations, retail concepts and thought-provoking ideas in sustainability, as we launch a series of new commitments set to radically change our business.”

The retailer has embarked on a collaboration with its brand partners to address the materials used in products with the aim that, by 2025, the most environmentally impactful materials used throughout its business will come from certified, sustainable sources. Selfridges has also launched new ways of shopping, such as resale, rental, refill and repair, to enable shoppers to purchase in a more sustainable way.

In grocery, Selfridges has made great strides in removing plastic from a lot of its private label packaging and has also introduced an Infarm vertical farm for herbs and salads. Hopefully, endeavours such as this will resurface as and when retailers begin to navigate their way out of the COVID crisis.