Environmental Sustainability
Electric delivery trucks can cost up to 12 percent less to operate than their diesel counterparts, according to a MIT study that used data from Staples and ISO New England, the nonprofit firm that runs New England's electric power grid.
Mountain Gear took the challenge of a reduced footprint to an extraordinary length — when the company had outgrown its corporate offices and distribution center, it took over an abandoned manufacturing facility.
Back in January 2007, Tesco pledged to develop a program that would place carbon labels on the more than 50,000 products the retailer sold. Now comes word from the company that it's decided to end the program, saying it's too complicated and costly.
By the time you’re reading this, the 2011 holiday season will be over. As such, you’re probably analyzing what worked and what didn’t during the critical fourth quarter and, believe it or not, beginning to plan for this year’s holidays. When making those plans, don’t forget to add the latest holiday shopping tradition to your marketing calendar: Green Tuesday.
The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) has released the first industrywide Retail Sustainability Report. The 2012 report highlights sustainability leadership in the retail industry and discusses retail's environmental, social and community impacts — those impacts within a company's four walls, in the products they sell, and in the broader communities they touch.
Best Buy is hoping to do in the electronics market what other retailers and manufacturers have done in the appliances market — promote energy efficiency. In fact, Best Buy believes this will give it competitive edge against the likes of Wal-Mart and Amazon.
As sales of electric cars begin to pick up, retailers nationwide are installing electric vehicle charging stations in parking lots so consumers can plug in and juice up their vehicles while browsing inside. Leading the way is drugstore chain Walgreens which is installing chargers at about 800 stores nationwide.
Ikea launched a new marketing campaign for its annual sale, transforming its iconic flat boxes into home furnishings. The simple yet effective "You Can Get More" campaign plays on the concept of quantity, presenting three different pieces of furniture made entirely of cardboard boxes.
Sustainable packaging is a topic that stymies most online sellers. No one quite has the answers yet, but most admit the issue will play a larger and more important role in brand development in the future.
Home furnishings retailer Ikea plans to install solar energy panels on five more U.S. stores, all of them in the Midwest. Implementation of these projects will extend Ikea's solar presence to nearly 85 percent of its U.S. locations. Pending governmental permits, installation can begin this winter and completion is expected next summer.