Winning Group’s Alice Kuepper on the “strategic imperative” of sustainability

Inside Retail’s Top 50 People in E-Commerce is an annual ranking of the most impressive and inspiring leaders in Australia’s online retail industry. Our 2024 report features C-level executives with decades of leadership experience, alongside start-up founders and digital specialists with a wide range of skills, from marketing to logistics. You can download it here.

Over the past few months, we’ve been sharing in-depth profiles of this year’s Top 10, including with the person who ranked #6 – Alice Kuepper, head of sustainable business and corporate social responsibility, Winning Group.

Here, we speak with Alice about her career journey in retail and why she believes embracing sustainable business practices are a strategic imperative.

 Inside Retail: Your career journey is a fairly unconventional one. How did you go from managing large-scale industry events to working in sustainability for an e-commerce business? 

Alice Kuepper: What I love about the e-commerce industry is that it’s full of stories of entrepreneurs who pivot their careers to solve a problem. My career journey is not too dissimilar – through my exposure to the e-commerce industry, I witnessed a noticeable lack of consideration for sustainability and social impact. My academic background in sociology equipped me with a solid understanding of social problems, the conditions for a functioning society and the role organisations play in this. 

Over the years, my desire grew to apply my knowledge and tap into the opportunity to solve social and environmental problems through businesses. A certification in Sustainable Business Strategy gave me credentials to do that. Acting as an ‘intrapreneur’ throughout my career, I’ve consistently taken initiative to launch new products or services and to get things done. This is what is required for sustainability in e-commerce now, we need all hands on deck and urgent action. John Winning recognised this and in 2020 I joined the Winning Group to establish the company’s first sustainability strategy and function. 

IR: As head of sustainable business at Winning Group, you’re responsible for delivering the company’s sustainability and social impact initiatives. Can you share a few examples of the projects you’ve led since joining the company?

AK: Since joining Winning Group, I’ve led the way for some impactful projects, including:

• Implementing a national packaging take-back and recycling program, addressing problematic materials like expanded polystyrene and soft plastics, diverting an average 80 per cent of packaging from landfill. 
• ‘Efficient Rows’, a digital capability on Appliances Online promoting water- and energy-efficient products, an industry-first initiative that can help customers reduce their water and energy consumption. 
• Establishing supply-chain ethics and responsible sourcing and publishing four Modern Slavery Statements since 2020.
• Forging partnerships with sustainability campaigns like Green Friday, connecting Appliances Online with conscious consumers, and contributing to our commercial success.
• Establishing partnerships with Good360 Australia and Dignity homelessness. 

Many of these initiatives are not only pioneering for our business but also for our industry, and gained company recognition through customer, supplier and team feedback, and sustainability awards. 

IR: Do you think having an industry perspective has helped you in your current role? 

AK: Having an industry perspective is instrumental in driving sustainable change at scale. Reshaping our linear economies requires collaboration within and between sectors. We are fostering collaboration through industry partnerships, by joining forums such as Circular Australia, Greener for Business and the Australian Bedding Stewardship Council.

IR: What was your biggest professional highlight in the last 12 months? 

AK: Launching the Group’s inaugural Sustainability Progress Report was a major achievement. This transparent account showcases major steps toward achieving our 2025 goals, ensuring accountability, measurable progress, visibility, and mitigation of the risk of greenwashing. We gained notable recognition for our sustainability initiatives, receiving multiple nominations and industry awards.

IR: What will be your key areas of focus in the next 12 months? 

AK: Our focus will align with the Federal Government’s incoming mandatory requirements on reporting climate-related financial risks and opportunities. We will aim to accelerate our efforts to measure, manage and reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. We will also further progress on current initiatives and contribute to driving industry progress through our participation in forums and associations. 

IR: What are the benefits of having someone dedicated to sustainability and social impact? And how do you see this space evolving in the e-commerce industry over the next few years?

AK: Embracing sustainable business practices is not just a moral obligation, but a strategic imperative for businesses to manage risk and thrive. My role provides companies confidence in meeting current legislative and customer demands while creating long-term business value, moving beyond ad hoc initiatives and potential greenwashing risks through data and progress reporting. 

The post Winning Group’s Alice Kuepper on the “strategic imperative” of sustainability appeared first on Inside Retail Australia.