Retail Resilience Through Compliance: APTIM’s 2025 Retail Leadership Summit

THIS WEEK’S CONTRIBUTOR:
Amy Martinez, CHMM, PMP, TRUE Advisor | Vice President
APTIM | Environmental Compliance & Sustainability
Amy.Martinez@APTIM.com

Amy Martinez has 20 years of experience providing regulatory compliance and permitting solutions to local governments and private sector clients, especially those in California. She is a Certified Hazardous Materials Professional, a certified Project Management Professional, and a TRUE Advisor with expertise in zero waste solutions.

Key Retail Leadership Summit Insights

As regulations continue to evolve, technologies advance, and operations expand, environmental, health, and safety (EHS) leaders are confronted with increasingly complex challenges. To support these professionals, APTIM hosted its third annual Retail Leadership Summit in Woonsocket, Rhode Island. This event provided a dedicated forum for EHS professionals across the retail industry to exchange insights, share best practices, and address pressing operational and regulatory issues.

The 2025 summit brought together representatives from 17 nationwide retailers and included more than 40 participants. Together, they explored trends in compliance, risk mitigation, waste reduction, safety, data management, digital solutions, and other critical topics. Key highlights from the main sessions are summarized below.

1. Retail Regulatory Landscape

The regulatory landscape across federal, state, and local jurisdictions continues to evolve, posing ongoing challenges for EHS professionals striving to remain informed about-and ahead-of new regulations impacting the retail sector. During this session, Partner Ted Wolff and Counsel Chris Schlag of Nixon Peabody examined recent developments under the current administration, shared regulatory predictions for 2025, and highlighted key considerations for retailers.

Regulatory oversight and enforcement are expected to shift significantly in 2025. Although coordination between federal and state agencies may decrease, state-level enforcement actions are likely to increase, resulting in a more fragmented compliance environment. Federal deregulatory initiatives could give way to a patchwork of state-driven programs, further complicating adherences efforts.

Several emerging issues present both risks and strategic opportunities for EHS leaders. Extended producer responsibility schemes, plastic-packaging mandates, battery-shipping regulations, and the management of emerging contaminants, such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, will demand close attention.

With projected regulatory divergence, policy pivots, and potential litigation on the horizon, businesses must adopt agile, proactive compliance strategies to navigate uncertainty and mitigate operational risk. Even as federal oversight relaxes, state-level mandates are expected to persist or intensify, and enforcement trends may become less transparent. Summit participants emphasized that a forward-looking approach to compliance will be essential for maintaining both regulatory alignment and operational resilience.

2. Governance Structure in Retail

Summit attendees gained valuable insights from industry peers on how governance models, team size and structure, and access to executive leadership can influence the success of EHS programs. There is no one-size-fits-all governance model; EHS teams may report through legal, operations, risk management, or safety functions, depending on the organization’s structure.

Team sizes vary significantly, ranging from a few dedicated professionals to teams of 50 or more. Most retailers reported having some level of field compliance support, either through direct EHS team members or in collaboration with departments, such as asset protection, supply chain, or safety.

Retailers with stronger alignment to executive leadership expressed greater satisfaction with corporate buy-in and overall support for their EHS programs and initiatives. Across discussions, a streamlined and well-integrated governance structure was consistently identified as critical to effectively managing safety and regulatory compliance.

3. Compliance Strategies in Retail

Roundtable discussions provided valuable insights into enhancing safety and environmental practices across retail operations. Participants shared innovative strategies for improving audit outcomes, reducing waste throughout the supply chain, and implementing environmental management information systems to drive efficiency.

A key theme was the growing impact of technology, specifically how it is transforming safety, streamlining training and onboarding processes, and facilitating real-time improvements in on-site practices. These advancements are not only making operations safer but also more adaptable to evolving needs and challenges.

4. Technology & Data Management in Retail

Advances in technology are transforming EHS decision-making, specifically as retailers invest in data management systems, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and other emerging tools to navigate regulatory challenges and ensure compliance. Speakers highlighted how these technologies are being deployed across distributed operations, emphasizing the benefits of enhanced data visualization and real-time insights into key performance indicators to drive stakeholder engagement and buy-in.

A recurring theme was the importance of integrating data from external sources to support automation and improve efficiency. Several retailers have established dedicated data analytics teams focused on streamlining reporting processes and accelerating access to actionable information. With improved data accessibility, EHS teams can pinpoint operational strengths, identify areas for improvement, and make more informed decisions that support long-term performance tracking and compliance goals.

5. DOT Compliance and Fire Code in Retail

The continued growth of the digital marketplace has led to an increase in the volume of products shipped via air. Ensuring compliance with Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations require coordination across internal safety, operations, and supply chain teams, as well as with third-party logistics providers. A comprehensive understanding of packaging, labeling, and documentation requirements is essential for preventing safety incidents and maintaining regulatory compliance throughout the supply chain.

Effective fire and life safety programs rely on well-defined emergency response protocols and coordinated communication between compliance teams, facility personnel, and local fire departments. As fire suppression technologies evolve, such as the ongoing transition away from aqueous film-forming foam due to regulatory and environmental considerations, organizations must stay ahead of system upgrades, component phase-outs, and inspection timelines. Proactive planning, routine maintenance, and timely testing of fire protection systems are essential to ensure regulatory compliance and protect both personnel and the broader community.

Looking Forward to 2026

We are grateful to all the retailers who joined our 2025 Retail Leadership Summit, shared their insights and experiences, and continued the conversation with peers beyond the event.

If you are interested in learning more about opportunities to enhance your EHS compliance program or participating in next year’s summit, please reach out to me at Amy.Martinez@APTIM.com or Retail Client Relationship Director Steve Musser at Steve.Musser@APTIM.com.

Learn about APTIM’s new annual benchmarking survey and report, Sustainable Retail Index, which offers customized, actionable, and exclusive sustainability insights to transform your retail business.

Published May 2025