2Sustain

Last week, IKEA announced plans to install solar energy panels on five locations in the Midwest, extending the company’s solar presence to nearly 85 percent of its US locations. Pending governmental permits, installation can begin this winter, with completion expected in summer 2012.

Collectively, the five stores will total approximately 20,400 panels, 4.8 megawatts (MW) of solar generating capacity and an annual output of 5.62 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity –that’s the equivalent to reducing 4,273 tons of carbon dioxide (CO₂) and  equal to eliminating the emissions of 760 cars or providing electricity for 484 homes yearly (calculating clean energy equivalents at www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/energy-resources/calculator.html).

This investment by IKEA reinforces the company’s long-term commitment to sustainability and confidence in photovoltaic (PV) technology, and it’s worth noting that IKEA will own and operate each of its solar PV energy systems atop its buildings, as opposed to a solar lease or PPA (power purchase agreement).

If you’re curious about more details, here are a few of the locations, along with approximate system statistics and corresponding clean energy equivalents: (more…)

Asda, which operates more than 500 retail stores across the UK, announced earlier this month that it is on track to deliver customer savings adding up to £800 million (about $ 1.2 billion) by 2020, thanks to its commitment to sustainability initiatives.

The company has been working towards a variety of sustainability targets since 2005, when global parent Walmart announced its commitments to sustainable sourcing and reductions in energy use and waste.

Asda has already made considerable progress. The company has:

• saved more than £70m in 2010 alone by reducing waste and energy usage in its operations.
• reduced absolute carbon emissions by an industry leading 11.9 percent  –exceeding its target to achieve a 10 percent reduction by 2015.
• eliminated 149,000 tonnes of carbon from operations since 2007. (That’s the equivalent of taking 60,000 cars off the road for a year.)
• eliminated 900 jumbo jets worth of packaging from its products.
• reduced energy use in stores equivalent to that used by over 55,000 homes every year.
• eliminated 17 million miles from its supply chain. (The company says that’s the same as going to the moon and back 38 times.)
• redirected all food waste and 96 percent operational waste from landfill through recycling programs, including diverting waste for energy.

In addition, over the past nine months, Asda has asked customers about their views on sustainability issues and what matters to them. Based on this research, the company concluded that: (more…)

Sainsbury’s, one of the UK’s leading retailers, revealed a new £1 billion (about $1.6 billion USD) sustainability plan last week, establishing 20 specific targets the company wants to achieve by 2020.

The Sainsbury’s 20 by 20 Sustainability Plan will focus on four key areas: (more…)

Walmart plans to install solar panels on up to 60 more stores in California –which means the company will be generating solar energy at more than 75 percent of its stores in the state.

When complete, Walmart’s total solar commitment in California is expected to:

• Generate up to 70 million kilowatt hours of clean, renewable energy per year, which is the equivalent of powering more than 5,400 homes (using the EPA calculator).
• Avoid producing more than 21,700 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year, which is the equivalent of taking approximately 4,100 cars off the road (using the EPA calculator).
• Provide 20 to 30 percent of each facility’s total electric needs.
• Total more than 130 stores by the end of 2013.
• Make California the first state in the US where Walmart has devoted this level of commitment to renewable energy. (more…)

Last week, Kohl’s Department Stores released its first annual corporate sustainability report.

The report, available at www.kohlsgreenscene.com, includes updates on the company’s primary environmental strategies: (more…)