Sustainability reporting used to be a once-a-year box-ticking exercise. Now it’s front and center.
Regulations are tightening. Shoppers are watching. By 2025, more than 50,000 companies will be on the hook to report sustainability data under the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD). Investors are paying attention too. Three out of four now factor in environmental metrics before they open their wallets.
Here’s the upside: Retailers who get ahead of these requirements don’t just stay compliant, they build trust, loyalty, and a brand that actually stands for something.
The rules are getting stricter. From Europe’s CSRD to California’s climate disclosure laws, companies are being asked to measure and report their carbon emissions, energy use, and waste output. Failure to do so or to accurately report emissions can get expensive.
The real goal here isn’t only about avoiding penalties. It’s about using that data to run smarter, leaner operations. Think of it like this: every inefficiency you track is a cost you can potentially cut. Sustainability reporting, when done right, becomes a business strategy.
Hard to believe but there are companies that are still using spreadsheets to track emissions. That’s a recipe for errors and missed opportunities. AI and automation are changing the game. Retailers can now pull real-time data from across their supply chains, generate reports in minutes, and even flag issues before they become problems.
For example, cloud-based analytics that track your carbon footprint as it happens. This kind of tech boosts accuracy (reporting errors can drop by up to 90%), and it also helps teams make decisions faster and with confidence.
Your media files, the high-res product photos, the autoplay videos, the uncompressed banners, etc., they’re all quietly contributing to your environmental impact.
Data centers that host and deliver these assets use a surprising amount of energy. When your digital assets aren’t optimized, you’re not just slowing down your site, you’re increasing your carbon footprint.
Cloudinary Assets can alleviate this. Our digital asset management (DAM) tools help retailers compress, transform, and deliver media efficiently. That means less storage, lower bandwidth, and a lighter environmental load. It’s a win-win: cleaner operations and better-performing websites.
Sustainability reporting is no longer just about compliance. It’s a powerful tool for optimizing business operations and a signal to your customers, investors, and team that you’re building a business with purpose. With growing regulatory pressures and consumer expectations, retailers must find ways to measure and reduce their environmental impact effectively.
Cloudinary helps retailers lower their carbon footprint without compromising quality visual experiences. Our tools optimize media workflows, reduce unnecessary data storage, while improving website performance.
If your brand wants to do better for the planet and look better doing it, Cloudinary provides a critical solution by optimizing digital media assets, reducing unnecessary data storage, and bandwidth usage. Download the Onestock-Cloudinary whitepaper to learn more strategies to meet growing consumer demand for greener practices.
Contact us to learn more today!
