2Sustain

Top retailers like Walmart, Tesco and Marks & Spencer are asking their suppliers to report on sustainability programs and provide customers with “greener” products, and now consumer goods companies are scrambling for ways to respond to these rapidly evolving lists of requirements.

Yesterday, Five Winds International, one of North America’s largest and most experienced consulting firms devoted to sustainability management, launched a website to help. The company researched retailers’ programs and developed specific tools to help suppliers understand how to get ahead of retailers’ requirements.
Designed specifically for brand managers and sustainability managers at consumer goods manufacturers, the new website includes: Continue Reading »

Last week, The Home Depot announced new targets for lowering energy use in U.S. stores and reducing GHG emissions in its domestic supply chain.

Since 2004, The Home Depot has reduced its U.S. stores’ energy per square foot consumption by 16 percent, and now –after a series of rather straightforward operational programs including the upgrading of store HVAC systems, aligning of stocking hours more closely with store operating hours, use of CFL bulbs and a switch to T5 lighting –the company’s U.S. store energy usage stands at 21 kWh per square foot.

Remarkably, The Home Depot estimates that over the past six years it has saved 2.6 billion kWh of energy —which is enough energy to power 203,000 homes for one year.

But, the company doesn’t want to stop there. The Home Depot believes it can reach 20 kWh per square foot of energy usage by 2015. How? According to a press release, the stores will continue to gain operational and energy efficiencies through: Continue Reading »

Proving itself (once again) to be a sustainability leader in its sector, U.S.-based global consumer electronics retailer Best Buy has joined Business for Innovative Climate and Energy Policy (BICEP), a coalition of major consumer companies advocating for strong U.S. climate and energy policy.

Best Buy joins other retail giants such as Nike, Starbucks and Levi Strauss & Co., who are already BICEP members. BICEP is coordinated by Ceres, a leading coalition of investors, environmental and public interest organizations working with companies to address sustainability challenges such as climate change.

“At Best Buy we’re committed to building sustainable business practices and helping our customers realize ways to live more sustainable lives,” says Laura Bishop, Best Buy’s Senior Director of Government Relations. “ We are honored to join BICEP in their efforts to advance legislation addressing climate change and promoting a clean energy economy.” Continue Reading »

The adidas Group has released its tenth annual sustainability report, providing an overview of the company’s strategies to reduce environmental footprints of its own operations while continuing to help suppliers reduce their environmental impacts, as well.

In particular, adidas Group reports that it is focusing its 2010 efforts on actions directed at these specific 2015 targets (each measured against a baseline of 2008 unless specified) : Continue Reading »

On Monday, Marks & Spencer (M&S), one of Britain’s largest retailers, announced a program to expand the green initiatives it launched in 2007 in hopes of becoming the world’s most sustainable retailer by 2015.

M&S first launched its ethical and eco plan, called Plan A, in January 2007. Its overall goals included making M&S carbon neutral, sending no waste from its operations to landfill, extending sustainable sourcing, setting new standards in ethical trading and helping customers and employees live a healthier lifestyle.

With this week’s announcement, the company has made a commitment to 80 ambitious new initiatives, many of which are going to major impacts on the M&S supplier network. For example, M&S is planning to: Continue Reading »