Environmental Sustainability

Kohl's will expand its solar program by nearly 25 percent this year, installing solar panels at approximately 30 additional stores. The department store retailer expects to have more than 150 solar locations across 13 states by the end of 2012. On average, the panels supply 20 percent to 50 percent of each store's energy requirements. "After adding 20 solar locations in 2011, we're pleased to continue growing our solar program in 2012," said Kohl's Chief Administrative Officer John Worthington in a statement. 

Kohl's said it will expand its solar program by nearly 25 percent in 2012, installing solar panels at approximately 30 additional locations. While some of the new solar sites will be in states such as California, Connecticut and Maryland where Kohl's already has a solar presence, additional sites will be located in new solar states for Kohl's, including Massachusetts, New York and Ohio. On average, the solar panels will supply 20 percent to 50 percent of each store's energy. Construction of the solar panel arrays on the first phase of stores began this spring.

Patagonia, a leading designer of outdoor, surf and sport-related apparel, announced the launch of its Vote the Environment campaign. The campaign asks customers to register to vote, learn about candidates’ environmental records and vote for the world they want to live in. Patagonia is one of the only for-profit businesses to engage in a public campaign that aims to sway its customers’ voting towards the most environmentally minded candidates.

OfficeMax has launched a new delivery program that reuses and recycles boxes for deliveries to business customers. The new program — Boomerang Box by OfficeMax — is projected to reduce box consumption by 80 percent among participating businesses. Boomerang Box by OfficeMax launches this month in Seattle, and will expand nationwide in the second half of 2012. Business participation in the program is free and voluntary for all customers nationwide that are served through OfficeMax's delivery fleet. The program is also designed for easy use to encourage widespread adoption.

Evian is sidestepping retail partners to sell its products directly to consumers with the promotion of a new online delivery service and the release of a new digital device it plans to make available widely in 2013. The device can be tacked onto a fridge and enables water delivery with the push of a single button. Initially, the website, called evianchezvous.com, is only available in Paris and its surrounding suburbs, the target being single-family homes and small businesses. The website will also permit delivery of other water products in the Danone family, such as Badoit or Volvic water.

Costco Wholesale Corp. has agreed to pay $3.6 million to settle a lawsuit filed by 29 district attorneys in California that alleged the retailer failed to properly store and dispose of hazardous materials at dozens of outlets in the state. According to the lawsuit, over a five-year period Costco employees didn't label or sort hazardous materials that had sat unsold on shelves or that customers had returned for long periods of time. This included such items as oven cleaner, bleach, pool chlorine and nicotine patches. 

Ikea's logging practices are under fire by the Global Forestry Coalition for logging old-growth forests and other high conservation value forests in Russian Karelia through its subsidiary, Swedwood. A petition was launched by Swedish NGO Protect the Forest, a member of the Global Forest Coalition (GFC), to encourage Ikea and Swedwood to alter their forestry practices. 

High-end outdoor clothier and gear maker Patagonia is out to prove that a company can generate strong sales while being nearly fanatical about environmental concerns. The Ventura, Calif., company was the first major clothier to make fleece jackets out of recycled bottles. Nearly a third of the power for its headquarters and adjoining child-care center comes from solar. And it donates 1 percent of its sales to environmental causes. With Patagonia being a privately held company, its finances aren't public, but it says it's riding a growth curve. 

U.K.-based Marks & Spencer has launched Shwopping, a new initiative that the retailer claims will revolutionize clothes shopping and help consumers to live more sustainable lifestyles. Marks & Spencer wants to put used clothing to good use. Instead of throwing it out, the retailer is asking customers to "shwop" it — give an unwanted piece of clothing every time they buy a new one.

Fashion retailer H&M reported several milestones in its recently released 2011 sustainability report, including reducing carbon emissions by 5 percent and increasing its use of organic cotton by 20 percent. H&M is now the biggest user of certified organic cotton in the world, according to the latest data reported by the Textile Exchange. H&M organic cotton use now represents 7.6 percent of the retailer's entire cotton use. By 2020, H&M says 100 percent of its cotton will come from more sustainable sources, including Better Cotton, organic cotton and recycled cotton.