This document is a position paper designed to present the case for increased scrutiny and benchmarking of supermarkets' policies and performance on biodiversity and landscapes, and to present methodologies for how that benchmarking may be carried out. It is written by the coordinator of the Nature module and does not necessarily represent the views of members of the alliance of organisations involved in the Race to the Top project, or the project's Advisory Group. It is a working document which was last updated on 8 December, 2003.
This briefing paper covers the Nature module and relates to the indirect impacts on biodiversity and landscapes of activities within retailers' supply chains. Other briefing papers are available which describe the other modules. Each seeks to identify the key issues within the module, and what actions UK supermarkets can take on these issues. There are many other issues which could be included within each module, but those identified are considered by the Race to the Top alliance of organisations to be highly significant representative issues on which retailers can act. Each of the issues is accompanied by an indicator that will be used to track positive supermarket action. It is hoped that these indicators will help to track supermarket progress towards a fairer and greener food system, and that they will provide a basis for discussion on how further progress towards this goal can be achieved.