Consumer goods leaders reaffirm sustainability as central to business strategy at the CGF’s Sustainable Retail Summit

CEOs from Bel Group, Danone, Royal Swinkels and Tesco plc were among the senior leaders united to discuss the future of retail.

PARIS, FRANCE, February 6, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Consumer goods leaders from around the world remain steadfast in their commitment to sustainability action, which is generating tangible value. That was the message from CEOs including Ken Murphy, Group CEO at Tesco plc, Antoine de Saint-Affrique, CEO at Danone, and Cécile Béliot-Zind, CEO at Bel Group, who came together this week at The Consumer Goods Forum’s Sustainable Retail Summit.

Bringing together 250 industry leaders and sustainability experts from 100 companies across more than 30 countries, the Paris event explored how the sector is moving decisively from ambition to implementation, with speakers highlighting practical ways to embed sustainability into core business strategy.

Ken Murphy, Group CEO at Tesco plc, told attendees: “We need to find a way to make sustainability commercially viable and compelling for consumers, businesses and partners, because otherwise sustainability will not be sustainable. Industry-wide collaboration will be critical to accelerating the business benefits of sustainability at scale.”

Antoine de Saint-Affrique, CEO at Danone, said: “The name of the game is to make sustainability sustainable by making it part of the fabric of the business.”

Themed “From Innovation to Impact: Scaling Solutions for People & Planet”, the event saw leaders sharing insights and inspiring examples of progress across three days of discussion from 3-5 February.

Speakers stressed that climate and nature have become defining strategic considerations for the consumer goods sector. Companies are embedding decarbonisation, nature-positive sourcing and regenerative agriculture into core business planning to secure supply, manage risk and protect long-term enterprise value.

Biodiversity was positioned not only as an environmental priority but as a future-proofing asset, essential for stable ecosystems, resilient raw-material chains and sustained commercial growth.

Food systems also emerged as a critical focus area, framed as both a strategic growth driver and a foundation for consumer trust. Speakers underscored the need for coordinated action from agricultural resilience to healthier portfolios, food waste reduction and transparent reporting. Bel Group, for example, illustrated how the company works with suppliers through the CGF’s Common Data Framework to harmonise Scope 3 data collection. By streamlining reporting requirements, suppliers avoid duplicating work for multiple retailers and can redirect resources toward implementation and scaling meaningful climate action.

Other themes included:
- Data & AI as a force to optimise and innovate – as it opens new opportunities to reimagine packaging design, business processes, and develop consumer relationships through tools and services.
- Collaboration as a governance and delivery imperative – joining forces to take action on areas such as plastic circularity, supply chain visibility and consumer behaviour change.
- Responsible value chains as enterprise risk management – strengthening short-term predictability, long-term trust and value creation across global value chains.

Wai-Chan Chan, Managing Director of The Consumer Goods Forum, said: “We are at a defining moment for the consumer goods industry. With concrete advances already underway through the CGF’s Coalitions of Action and Industry Solutions, the message was clear and energising at the summit: the tools, partnerships and momentum exist, collaboration is what will drive our industry forward, while ensuring a strong link to the economics as well.”

To find out more, visit: http://www.theconsumergoodsforum.com/events/sustainable-retail-summit/

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About The Consumer Goods Forum
The Consumer Goods Forum (“CGF”) is a global, parity-based industry network that is driven by its members to encourage the global adoption of best practices and recommended standards that serve the consumer goods industry worldwide. Its members are the CEOs and senior management of some 400 retailers, manufacturers, service providers, and other stakeholders across 70 countries, and it reflects the diversity of the industry in geography, size, product category and format. Its member companies have an estimated revenue of exceeding €5.2 trillion and directly employ nearly 10 million people, with a further 90 million related jobs estimated along the value chain. The CGF is led by a Board of Directors formed of 54 CEOs - evenly split between retailers and manufacturers.

Please visit CGF’s website and LinkedIn to be the first to hear updates and new programme confirmations.

Will Kirk
Forster Communications
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