SUSTAINABILITY isplay


ses the changes retailers can make to their in-store displays and products to further more sustainable future.


More significant though is the shift in consumer outlook. Indeed, DS Smith and Ipsos MORI found that some 85% of consumers want to buy products that use as little packaging as possible and almost a third admit that they have stopped buying particular brands altogether because their packaging was not sustainable. Sustainability in business is no longer a moral choice, one that is to be commended and applauded. Instead, as a major factor in consumer demand, it should be seen as a necessity.


The rise of sustainability, however, does not mean an end to the branding and aesthetic elements of the retail landscape. Instead, these need to be combined.


Building Sustainably


It is thought that around 80% of a product’s ecological impacts are trapped in the design phase, so it is well worth working with a specialist design company that is able to create sustainable products to support point of sales in the retail environment. You can lean on their expertise to design various recycled and recyclable products – tabletops, tables, benches, housing and product display units – from sustainable materials such as ocean plastics, yogurt pots, plastic bottles and plastic packaging waste.


Marrying Style with Sustainability


Of course, when operating in a retail environment, sales and profits are the priority, and companies cannot discard the need to create visually-appealing displays. Fortunately, style and sustainability are not mutually exclusive.


Consumer brands are already proving this point - Virgin Pure, for example, prioritised design and sustainability for a project to design and install water cabinets to display its water systems to provide shoppers with filtered water at Westfield shopping centres. Using recycled ocean plastics, we designed slick, modern-looking cabinets to accentuate the striking brand of Virgin Pure and blend comfortably into the shopping environment.


Two Birds with One Stone – COVID-19 and the Climate Crisis


Whenever retailers are thinking about making changes to their shop or showroom, it is always worth taking the time to investigate what the more sustainable approach is. The pandemic and the need for retailers to keep shoppers, themselves and their staff safe, for example, saw the need for floor markers to remind shoppers about social distancing. Floor stickers and even plastic tape were quickly put in place to help guide shoppers, but it is worth remembering that on-brand floor signage can also be made from compostable materials, and new or immediate need does not have to have a negative impact on the environment.


With the retail industry carrying so much potential for change, let’s make 2021 the year that it comes to the fore, and put sustainability at the core of our creations.


www.regencydesign.co.uk


Regency Design combined sustainability and style to create these water cabinets for Virgin Pure.


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Tomorrow’s Retail Floors | 21


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