SumUp retailer survey: sustainability crucial for small retailers in Germany
Small retailers in Germany are increasingly focusing on sustainability in their day-to-day business and management. This starts with the choice of suppliers or the purchase of goods and extends to the decision for an appropriate energy provider. This is confirmed by a recent retailer survey* conducted by the financial technology company SumUp, in which more than 2,500 retailers in Germany, Italy, France and the UK took part.
Sustainability permeates all areas
More than almost any other European country, Germany in particular strives to act in a sustainable and environmentally friendly manner. This is also a key issue for retailers, and especially for small traders. 56.2 percent of the German retailers surveyed attach importance to reducing waste through composting and recycling and to disposable plastic products. Efforts to operate sustainably and, above all, in an environmentally friendly manner are also evident in the selection of suppliers: more than one in two respondents (51.3 percent) consciously choose local suppliers, and as many as 40.3 percent already make sure that sustainability is a criterion for them when selecting them. 30 percent of small retailers also rely on renewable energy sources when choosing an electricity supplier and strive for energy efficiency.
Recycled or upcycled products are also an important topic in retail. 21 percent offer these to their customers, and in the beauty sector this figure is as high as one in four retailers (25.2 percent).There is still potential in the area of organic products:While 17.1 percent of the retailers surveyed in the beauty sector are already focusing on this, the figure for the retail sector is 16.1 percent. The situation is better in the catering sector: 43.5 percent of caterers offer organic products.
Germany ahead in European comparison
In other countries, however, sustainability efforts stop with purchasing from local retailers.Looking at the European countries surveyed, it is clear that German retailers in particular stand out from the efforts of Italian and British traders in this respect.While more than one in two British (51 percent) and 48.9 percent of Italian retailers still buy from local suppliers, on the other hand, it is apparent that only 25 percent of British and Italian respondents pay attention to the supplier's sustainability and efforts to achieve this when choosing a supplier.
The picture is even clearer for renewable energies:
While 23.5 percent of the retailers surveyed in Italy consider this important, the figure is 21.9 percent in the UK and 16.9 percent in France.In Germany, on the other hand, it is almost one in three retailers (30 percent)."Environmental awareness and sustainable action is also an important issue for small retailers.In our latest survey, we see that their efforts in this regard encompass all areas of the business - both in front of the scenes and, above all, behind the scenes. Retailers use renewable energy, recycle, and also have environmental friendliness firmly in mind when purchasing goods. It is interesting and also gratifying that German small retailers seem to pay more attention to sustainability than other European countries.So it's only logical that they also use digital offers for payment processing," says Michael Schrezenmaier, CEO Europe at SumUp.