Retail Council of Canada

Summerhill has repeatedly proven that companies can successfully harness the environmental movement to drive positive growth and transform markets to sustainability. We have also long recognized that the retail sector wields incredible influence in the economy and the lives of individual Canadians.

Retail Council of Canada (RCC) is committed to working with its members to develop, design, and deliver conservation activities that reduce energy consumption both among their customer base and within their own facilities. Besides the obvious environmental benefits these changes will bring, retailers will enjoy significant cost savings from improved energy efficiency within their facilities as well as potential increases in store traffic and customer loyalty via consumer-facing energy conservation initiatives.

To connect retailers across Canada to better environmental choices, Summerhill and RCC have formed a strategic partnership and are currently working together on a variety of environmental initiatives.

On October 27, 2009, RCC hosted the premier Environmental Sustainability Conference, an important event on sustainability that was one of the most informative and inspiring conferences of the year. Featuring environmental and retail experts, attendees came away with effective strategies to leverage the power of sustainability.

Our own Ersilia Serafini, CEO of Summerhill, spoke at the RCC Environmental Sustainability Conference on the topic of Sustainability, Customer Behaviour, and the Future of Retail. Other presenters included Gino DiGioacchino, Vice-President, Merchandising, The Home Depot Canada and Leon Hall, Sustainable Packaging Manager, Walmart Canada Corp.

Summerhill and RCC are also currently undertaking a market characterization study of Ontario retailers to better understand the current needs, opportunities, and barriers to their participation in energy conservation activities. This project will allow us to assess participation rates in existing Conservation Demand Management (CDM) programs and to collect valuable information regarding levels of knowledge and awareness both at the retail and consumer levels. We will gather feedback on the perceived effectiveness of the current approach to energy conservation in Ontario and develop a series of recommendations on how to increase retail and consumer participation in conservation initiatives across the province.