Retail
This sector includes the resale (sale without transformation) of new and used goods mainly to the general public for personal or household consumption or utilization, by shops, department stores, stalls, mail-order houses, hawkers and peddlers, consumer cooperatives etc.
The goods sold in this sector are limited to goods usually referred to as consumer goods or retail goods. Therefore, goods that do not usually enter the retail trade, such as cereal grains, ores, industrial machinery etc., are excluded. This sector also includes units engaged primarily in selling to the general public, from displayed goods, products such as personal computers, stationery, paint or timber, although these sales may not be for personal or household use. Some processing of goods may be involved, but only incidental to selling, e.g. sorting or repackaging of goods, installation of a domestic appliance etc.
This sector also includes the retail sale by commission agents and activities of retail auctioning houses (adapted from International Standard Industrial Classification of All Economic Activities (ISIC), Revision 4, Part 3, Section G, 47).
Sustainable innovation
Sustainable innovation is a process whereby sustainability considerations (environmental, social and economic) are integrated into all company processes from idea generation through to research and development (R&D) and commercialization. It can be applied to products, services and technologies, as well as new business and organization models (Charter, 2007). Sustainable innovation is a new and evolving area that also relates to eco-innovation, which is any form of innovation that makes significant and proven progress towards the goal of sustainable development, by reducing impacts on the environment or by achieving a more efficient and responsible use of natural resources, including energy (Competitiveness and Innovation Framework, 2007 to 2013).
