SEATTLE, 2015-5-29 — /EPR Retail News/ — Best Buy’s five-year-long drive to reduce its carbon footprint by at least 20 percent by 2020 was recognized as an unparalleled retailer achievement at U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) White House ceremonies in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday night.
The reduction is part of the company’s effort to address climate change.
Thanks to a combination of an industry-leading energy management system, store lighting retrofit and improved fleet and distribution practices, Best Buy was commended for exceeding its goal and reducing emissions by 26 percent since 2010. The award was given at this week’s DOE Better Buildings Challenge Summit.
“We know that our customers and employees care about the environment, and they care about companies that do too,” said Laura Bishop, vice president of Public Affairs who oversees the company’s corporate responsibility and sustainability team. “Our commitment to carbon reduction is part of a larger effort that focuses on everything we can do as a company, along with all we can do to help our customers live more sustainably by managing their own energy use.”
Beginning in 2010, Best Buy sought to address its carbon footprint throughout its complex network of retail locations, distribution and data centers, and transportation infrastructure. These efforts included:
- Installing energy management systems at “big box” stores to centrally control temperature and lighting by synchronizing all systems.
- Retrofitting more than 840 stores with lower-wattage fluorescent ceiling fixtures, reducing lighting energy usage by nearly half and brightening the interiors.
- Upgrading thousands of Geek Squad cars and trucks to more efficient models and strategically routing to reduce gas consumption.
- Requiring EPA SmartWay® certification for all transportation partners, and optimizing store shipments and the transfer of recycled products to partner facilities, led to further reductions.
The broader Best Buy sustainability program extends beyond reducing the company’s own carbon footprint to consumer solutions, such as energy-efficient products. More than 1 billion pounds of electronics and appliances have been recycled through convenient services such as trade-in and free recycling. Named an ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year in 2014 and 2015, Best Buy helped customers realize $70 million in utility bill savings* and prevented 900 million pounds of carbon emissions with ENERGY STAR certified products sold in 2014 alone. Best Buy also was appointed to the Carbon Disclosure Leadership Index from 2012 through 2014, and to the Carbon Performance Leadership Index in 2012 and 2013.
Best Buy’s innovative approaches to energy efficiency, as well as its achievements, are profiled in the Better Buildings Solution Center at www.energy.gov/betterbuildingssolution center.
For more information about the Best Buy sustainability program visit https://corporate.bestbuy.com/sustainability
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* Utility savings calculated over the product lifetime.
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