As retailers push toward becoming more sustainable, many startups promising to help make the industry greener have emerged, and they’re looking for a little green themselves.

For this, they’ll need the support of impact investors. Retail Brew caught up with investors from Alante Capital, S2G Ventures, and Closed Loop Venture Group to hear how they’re wading through the many sustainability-minded startups across categories like food and agriculture and fashion and beauty, and the due diligence processes they employ to differentiate the change-makers from the greenwashers.

Karla Mora, founder and managing partner, Alante Capital

Alante Capital is an early-stage venture capital fund aimed at establishing a “decarbonized and circular future” for the consumer goods industry, founder and managing partner Karla Mora said. Its first fund has been focused on apparel (its second fund will move into outdoor gear and home goods), addressing the inefficiencies from design to production to point of sale.

• Investments include FIT:MATCH—digital fit technology that helps returns, which has partnered with Savage x Fenty—and Circ, which recycles post-consumer apparel waste and released a collection with Zara this year.

“There is not one silver bullet for sustainability in apparel or in any retail,” Mora said. “There are incredible inefficiencies across the entire system that could benefit from modernization and innovation.”

Keep reading here.—EC

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UPS and the Teamsters yesterday reached a tentative five-year contract agreement to avoid the strike of more than 340,000 workers that was set to begin August 1.

The deal is a “win-win-win agreement” that allows UPS the “flexibility we need to stay competitive, serve our customers and keep our business strong,” UPS CEO Carol Tomé said in a statement.

The Teamsters said the deal features 60+ changes and updates to the National Master Agreement, with zero concessions from the union. UPS “put $30 billion in new money on the table,” Teamster General President Sean M. O’Brien said. Agreements included:

• A number of wage bumps, particularly for part-time workers, which was a major sticking point in negotiations. Existing part-time and full-time UPS Teamsters secured a $2.75 pay increase this year, rising to $7.50 over the course of the contract. New part-timers will also now receive a starting salary of $21 an hour.
• Air conditioning and cargo ventilation in all delivery vehicles, vans, and cars bought after January 1, 2024.
• The establishment of 7,500 new full-time jobs and more opportunities for part-time workers to move to full-time positions.

Keep reading here.—EC

On Wednesdays, we wear pink spotlight Retail Brew’s readers. Want to be featured in an upcoming edition? Click here to introduce yourself.

Laura Ritchey is EVP and COO at Radial, an e-commerce fulfillment solution provider that works with retailers like Calvin Klein, Express, and Gymshark.

How would you describe your job to someone who doesn’t work in retail? My role as EVP and COO of Radial is to partner with our clients and teams to ensure we deliver a customer’s online order to the destination as promised. Although inflation is starting to cool now, it tightened consumer wallets and placed additional significance on the orders people do make. I don’t take that purchase decision for granted, and I know I am accountable for ensuring we get deliveries into customers’ hands within the expectation that was set when they ordered.

One thing we can’t guess about your job from your LinkedIn profile? At Radial, I am privileged to lead a highly diverse and inclusive team comprised of individuals from various countries, backgrounds, and identities. This diversity brings vibrancy to our team and enriches our collective perspectives. We are also committed to fostering a collaborative environment where every team member feels valued and empowered to contribute their unique viewpoints and innovative solutions.

What’s your favorite project you’ve worked on? I love a challenge, so my favorite project is any chance my team and I get to resolve an issue or address something that is not working as expected. Throughout my career, I have had several new site launches that required special care to help them achieve their objectives. Most recently, the launch of new automation has presented some unique challenges when we need to meld existing technology with new robots.

Keep reading here.—EC

Today’s top retail reads.

Saving face: How to find success when your brand—like diaper maker Coterie, whose founder Frank Yu isn’t actually a parent—lacks “founder-market fit.” (Inc)

Toying around: The release of Barbie was promoted by countless Barbie-themed brand and retailer collaborations, from apparel to pool floats. But as hot pink-clad moviegoers flooded theaters over the weekend, they couldn’t buy any of those products in the theaters themselves, which may have been a major missed retail opportunity. (WWD)

Bubbling up: Inside Bath & Body Works’s move to bring its formerly international soap-making supply chain together at its “beauty park” in Columbus, Ohio. (the Wall Street Journal)

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