Regulatory developments

In recent years there has been a significant increase in regulation and Government interest in corporate responsibility. We track proposed legislation and look for opportunities to engage in constructive discussion over its implementation.

Much of this work is done in conjunction with other retailers through the British Retail Consortium, supplemented by our own direct contacts with Government.

Examples of proposed legislative changes that may affect us include:

• The Carbon Reduction Commitment: a mandatory emissions trading scheme for large, non-energy intensive commercial and public sector organisations
• Ofgem’s ‘Developing Guidelines for Green Supply’ consultation, which proposes changes to how companies report their CO₂ emissions
• New legislation trailed in the 2008 Budget to introduce customer charging for plastic carrier bag use in 2009
• New energy efficiency standards and product labelling for energy-using products.

We carefully consider these developments, their potential effect on our business and how we should respond.