When the global coronavirus pandemic caused foot traffic and spending to fall off a cliff earlier this year, many retailers were forced to pivot to keep their business afloat. Some quickly launched new forays into PPE, while others put inessential projects on hold. They were in survival mode.For many retailers, a relatively new set of sustainable and ethical business goals would have been – sadly, perhaps – set to one side until they got a handle on the ‘new normal’. But not The Iconic, which released its inaugural Annual Progress Report, including 17 specific targets to improve various parts of the business like the sustainability of its packaging and size diversity, in November 2019, just a few months before Covid-19 hit.While some of the initiatives planned for 2020 were delayed due to social distancing and travel restrictions, such as face-to-face training for workers in the retailer’s private-label factories in China, India and Bangladesh, others launched on schedule, such as the rollout of new packaging made from 100 per cent recycled content in May. In the second edition of the Annual Progress Report, released last week, the retailer said its “commitment to this agenda continues to remain unwavering”. Chief executive Erica Berchtold connected this commitment to the company’s financial performance at a virtual roundtable held in conjunction with the release of the report. “A long time ago, you had to choose between being environmentally sustainable or financially sustainable. That’s how it felt. What we’ve started to see and prove and lead is that you can actually do both those things,” Berchtold said. That dual commitment to environmental and financial sustainability was put to the test during Covid-19, but here are two examples of how The Iconic stuck to its values despite the pandemic.   Supporting factory partnersWhen the pandemic first hit and the impact on customer demand was unclear, many retailers, including The Iconic, stopped placing new orders from suppliers and some even cancelled orders that were not yet complete in a bid to preserve cashflow. However, this caused a chain reaction, leaving many suppliers unable to pay their factory workers, who are some of the most vulnerable people in the global supply chain. The Iconic noted in its report that it has “long since resumed” placing orders with its suppliers and is using materials that were purchased by suppliers for rephased production, ensuring suppliers and factories haven’t been left out of pocket. “We believe that continuing to demonstrate commitment to our partners through trade is one of the best ways we can support them to navigate through Covid-19,” the retailer stated in its Annual Progress Report. In line with this, The Iconic’s parent company, Global Fashion Group, has endorsed an initiative from the International Labour Organization to support manufacturers to survive the economic disruption caused by Covid-19. Shifting to virtual volunteeringOne of The Iconic’s goals is to have 70 per cent of staff engaged in volunteering by January 1, 2022. While the retailer was making progress towards this goal in the first two months of this year, primarily in support of charities involved in the bushfire crisis, the implementation of social distancing restrictions due to Covid-19 made in-person volunteering impossible. “By March 2020 our established employee volunteer program unfortunately came to a grinding halt as a large portion of our people moved into alternative working arrangements (such as working from home) in line with The Iconic’s Covid-19 safe protocols, which has significantly limited employees’ traditional onsite volunteering options,” the retailer stated in its Annual Progress Report. However, as virtual working became the norm at The Iconic, it became apparent that there was a similar opportunity do virtual volunteering. Together with its main charity partner Thread Together, The Iconic identified specific areas where its staff could act as voluntary consultants, rather than donating their time. This resulted in one employee helping to design and optimise Thread Together’s new warehouse in Banksmeadow, NSW.As of the end of September, The Iconic had provided over 80 hours of virtual volunteering in the realm of warehouse engineering, analysis, communications and training documentation.