“Green” practices in the food retail sector: evidence from the Romanian market

Abstract

PurposeWithin a Europe highly concerned about becoming a zero net greenhouse gas emission continent, and where the circular economy is strongly promoted as a proper lever in this sense, the present paper aims to raise awareness regarding best practices towards a “green” food retail sector in Romania. In a more specific regard, the “green” practices implemented by the main food retailers acting on the Romanian market are analysed, focusing on what these practices are, how they are measured and how transparent they are.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is based on desk research consisting in the identification and content analysis of the “green”-related information outlined on the food retailers' websites and in their published sustainability reports.FindingsFood retailers are concerned about becoming carbon neutral, implementing the “green” measures outlined in the paper through the lenses of waste management, minimising/eradicating plastic, reducing/eliminating food waste, energy efficiency/saving, water consumption efficiency, protecting biodiversity, transportation efficiency and compliance with standards/obtained certifications/adherence to pacts. In addition to actions, food retailers are concerned about their proper, continuous monitorization, tackling key indicators in four directions: overall impact on the environment, impact on resources, waste impact and transportation impact.Originality/valueThe paper provides a novel, exhaustive best practices guide to encourage the transition to a “greener” activity in the Romanian food retail sector, highlighting both action measures and key assessment indicators.

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“…Reducing material resource consumption, developing energy efficiency practices, managing water and reducing carbon emissions, managing waste and promoting recycling, achieving environmentally friendly product packaging, and optimizing packaging design are priority concerns for small-and medium-sized enterprises in Romania. These results are also supported by the findings of other researchers [105][106][107][108][109]. The PLS-SEM results demonstrate that all correlation paths of the proposed model construct (ECSC → BP, 0.289; ECSC → BP, 0.238 ECSC → BP, 0.206) are positive and significant, for levels above the allowed thresholds t-value > 1.96 or p-value > 0.001 [76].…”

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“…Through a questionnaire administered among 243 participants in Italy, the research has highlighted the presence of three kinds of consumers, namely: (1) consumers sensitive to cost savings but trying to privilege palm-oil free foods; (2) brand-loyal consumers, which purchase branded foods even if they contain palm oil and (3) health sensitives consumers, for which the presence of palm oil profoundly affects the purchasing choice. Grosu (2024) has analyzed and measured the best practices toward a "green" food retail sector in Romania, also considering the purpose of the European Union to become a zero-net greenhouse gas emission country. The study is based on a desk research on the green-related information outlined on the food retailers' websites and in their published sustainability reports.…”

“…Grosu (2024) has analyzed and measured the best practices toward a “green” food retail sector in Romania, also considering the purpose of the European Union to become a zero-net greenhouse gas emission country. The study is based on a desk research on the green-related information outlined on the food retailers' websites and in their published sustainability reports.…”

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“…Another study by Grosu (2023) analyzed the competitive dynamics of the Romanian retail sector. The study found that the sector was characterized by a high degree of concentration, with several large retailers dominating the market.…”