Decarbonizing strategies of the retail sector following the Paris Agreement

Data collected in retailers’ sustainability/CSR reports was organized in different tables, according to the variables policy, strategy and energy-related building practice, following the methodology of Sullivan & Gouldson (2013) and Balan (2010). In total, 27 retailers were analysed (19 food retailers and 8 non-food retailers). This dataset comprises the original grids used to code all of retailers analysed data. Maximum variation sampling was selected to identify key dimensions of variations and shared patterns that cut across cases and derive their significance from having emerged out of heterogeneity. Data organization was made the following way: CSR/sustainability reports were searched for recurring themes, which were recorded under each variable’s table, to identify core consistencies and meanings (i.e. patterns). These patterns where then sorted into categories, according to internal heterogeneity and external heterogeneity. They were also validated by all authors to be reasonably inclusive of the analysed data as to cover our research questions. Hence, for each variable, data were organized according to the most general category that could embrace each of the identified listed measures. To cross-check data, once all the measures were listed, they were coded as search words and sastainability/CSR reports were analysed in search of these words