Roian Atwood, senior director of Sustainability at Tractor Supply Company, joins the conversation to discuss the largest rural lifestyle retailer in the country’s approach to stewardship of the lifestyle it refers to as “life out here,” which could help forge important changes of habit in those communities. Tractor Supply Company has aligned its very aggressive sustainability targets with the Paris goals of cutting overall emissions by 50% by 2030 and becoming carbon neutral by 2040, a decade before most companies that have set goals. Roian also dives into the complexities of recycling packaging and the materials — such as steel palettes — used to deliver tractors that the company uses.
Retailers, as we’ve heard frequently on this show, are keystone influencers in the shape of a new sustainable economy. The choices retailers make when stocking their shelves determine the choices consumers have. Tractor Supply Co. is working to electrify all its operations in a move away from fossil fuels and is already ahead of its original CO2 emissions and renewable energy goals. Founded as a mail-order company during the Depression, Tractor Supply is also thinking through how the transition to e-commerce may change its physical interaction with customers, as well as drive the addition of recycling services at stores to bring customers in on a regular basis. You can learn more about Tractor Supply Co.’s sustainability goals at corporate.tractorsupply.com/ESG/stewardship/default.aspx
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This podcast originally aired on May 16, 2022.