RETAILERS' SUSTAINABLE COMMUNICATIONS. CASE STUDY ON THE ROMANIAN MARKET

Abstract

Pollution has become a common problem nowadays. Constantly, both individuals and large organizations are exposed to the negative effects of this phenomenon, a fact that implies finding solutions to prevent and combat the consequences of pollution. Based on these considerations, the concern of individuals towards sustainability and the principles associated with this concept has increased.
Identifying a consumer need to protect the environment, retailers considered that the implementation of sustainable principles in all stages of production processes, respectively in business strategies, is not only a first element of differentiation but also constitutes satisfaction of customers' needs and wishes. Thus, in recent years, especially in the field of consumer products, we are not only faced with the appearance of organic or green products, but also with an increase in the desire of retailers to get involved in the life of the community and to carry out social responsibility campaigns.
Currently, companies inform consumers about the sustainable actions they carry out through annual Sustainability Reports, which are carried out by international reporting standards, the best known of which is the Global Reporting Initiative.
In this article, we aimed to carry out a comparative analysis of the sustainable communication strategy that three of the retailers operating in the field of consumer goods in Romania have: Lidl Group, Kaufland Group, and Profi Rom.