Italy’s Green Pea Dreams Up a Destination for Conscious Consumption

Trend Spotlight from RI 2022: Sustainable Retail Gets a Makeover

For almost two decades, McMillanDoolittle has been tracking cutting edge retail concepts from around the world. Retail Innovations 2022 (RI 2022) includes 50 cases categorized into the following five forces driving change in today’s modern retail matrix: Engagement in-store, Engagement out-of-store, Efficiency in-store, Efficiency out-of-store, and Sustainability.  Today we highlight an innovative business from our report section on Sustainability – a megatrend we’ve been tracking for years that is finally earning its place as a requisite for a brand’s value proposition.  Read on for a discussion on what Sustainability means today and to learn about Italy’s ambitious Green Pea retail park.

Today’s Sustainable Leaders Raise the Bar

Conscious consumers represent a large, growing and increasingly vocal segment of the population, seeking brands and retailers that reflect their values. This mindful consumer is driving an industry-wide shift in favor of brands and products contributing to the circular economy and to a transparent discussion of the impact brands and retailers have on the planet. This year’s concepts featured within RI 2022 for excellence in Sustainability continue to raise the bar. Their classification as Sustainability innovators is evident in responsible practices throughout the entire value chain, transparency with consumers and other stakeholders, and ambitious commitments to supporting people and planet.

Italy’s Green Pea Serves as a Beacon for Adopting an Aspirational and Sustainable Lifestyle

Green Pea unveiled its first-of-its kind sustainable multi-use lifestyle center in the midst of the unfolding pandemic. The Turin-based architectural beauty pays homage to two Italian excellences: fashion and design.  Green Pea’s mission is to inspire consumers to save the planet by flipping the conversation from a matter of duty to a penchant for beauty, style and pride. The massive eco-friendly space features 5 floors with 66 shop-in-shops, 3 restaurants, an educational gallery, a spa, a swimming pool, a cocktail bar, and an exclusive club. It houses product offerings dedicated to energy, mobility, home, apparel, and leisure activities with a lineup of products and services dedicated to environmental responsibility.

Photo credit: GreenPea

Photo credit: GreenPea

Why We are Inspired. Green Pea pursues a noble mission to change the way people consume resources throughout their daily activities lives to a painstaking and thoughtful level of detail – for instance, the lumber for the structure is recovered from fallen trees, and the website reverts to a low-energy mode free of video, pictures or other rich content while users are inactive. The concept’s 100+ partners (nearly all local, Italian-based companies) share in Green Pea’s vision for a sustainable economy. Partners comply with strict regulations to meet aggressive social and environmental goals and collaborate in community-driven forums to tackle climate solutions at the intersection of grass-roots production and consumer behavior. The Producers Pea Club is organized around a common goal of driving continuous sustainability improvements.

Green Pea’s consumer experience and sustainability impacts extend beyond in-person visits and their collective of producers. The Green Pea app invites consumers to earn points for redemption through challenges, quizzes, and gamification tactics designed to change their thinking and instill more sustainable behaviors. At its core, Green Pea champions the mission to direct retail towards saving, extending, and improving life on our planet. Get immersed in the beauty of this destination for sustainable lifestyle products and services by taking a 360° virtual tour of Green Pea here.

Photo credit: GreenPea.com

Stay tuned as we continue highlighting inspiring examples from each of our five key trend areas in the coming weeks. Follow along with us on our blog and our Instagram feed and stories.

Download Your Copy of Retail Innovations 2022 here.