SSA & Company Introduces New Method to Go Green Profitably in the Retail Industry

New York, June 29, 2009 – SSA & Company, a global operations consulting firm, has introduced a new approach to make meaningful and lasting environmental progress while simultaneously reducing costs.   Drawing on its work with some of the world’s leading retail companies, the firm’s methodology helps executives execute a green agenda in a way that positive impacts the bottom line.

“While most retailers want to reduce their carbon footprint, and many have taken steps to embrace environmentally sensitive policies, many managers lack a rigorous strategy to achieve and maintain these goals,” says Suzanne Long, SSA & Company’s Retail Practice Leader.  “As a result, they miss the opportunity that the green agenda presents for businesses that want to run smarter, more efficiently, and with lower cost.”

According to Long, a 15-year veteran of the retail industry, the number of ways in which retail companies can help improve the environment is exhaustive because of the number of “multipliers”: every store, transaction, customer, delivery, and associate has an impact.  “Each year, US retailers throw away hundreds of millions of tons of plastic and cardboard.  In addition, a recent study of the grocery industry estimated that nearly $20 billion worth of food products are thrown into the waste stream annually,” says Long. “And these are just two small examples – additional waste and pollution is generated every day through activities such as energy consumption, fuel usage, and carbon emissions.”

SSA & Company’s approach to environmentalism is founded on the principle that meaningful progress comes when companies approach their green initiatives just as they approach any strategic opportunity in their business – through robust measurement, process efficiency, and superior execution.  This is achieved through three critical steps:

1. Identifying the greatest sources of waste

2. Understanding the data behind those sources

3. Addressing process fundamentals that make green initiatives possible.

“Many retail executives assume that going green means adding costs to their business,” says David Niles, SSA & Company’s president. “The fact is, environmental waste and inefficiency are no different than other types of waste and inefficiency in a business.  By using factual data, solid analysis, and focused effort, we have been able to save retailers tens of millions of dollars annually.”

SSA & Company’s unique methodology has made a dramatic impact on the performance of its clients. In a study of more than 20 environmental projects conducted in the retail industry, SSA & Company helped companies improved their performance by an average of 30-40% in areas such as energy consumption, recycling, and waste reduction.  For example, one major US retail company:

-- Reduced cardboard and plastic waste by more than 4 million pounds annually

-- Reduced compactor waste by more than 10 million pounds annually

-- Reduced total bag utilization by 8%, or more than 14 million bags per year

“SSA & Company gave us the methods and tools to dramatically improve how we approach our green agenda,” says a client company executive.

“We’re very excited about the impact our approach is having on the market,” says Niles.  “Retail companies need an approach to environmentalism that benefits both the earth and the bottom line.  At SSA & Company, we believe our process-focused approach to going green is helping retail companies achieve that goal.”