Environmental Sustainability

Apple, Nordstrom and other retailers are beginning to use paperless receipts not only to achieve quicker checkout lines and create less waste but also to gain additional customer email addresses, according to Pam Danziger of Unity Marketing, a market research firm.

A group of environmental organizations issued a report reprimanding Apple for the pollution allegedly caused by the company's Chinese suppliers. "We require that our suppliers provide safe working conditions, treat workers with dignity and respect, and use environmentally responsible manufacturing processes wherever Apple products are made," Apple's Steve Dowling said in response to the report.

People are often not able to see the impact they make on the planet by purchasing "green" products. At online retailer Green N Brown, every single product carries information about its green factor along with impact statements. Now shoppers can look for eco footprint statements besides product specs.

Toys“R”Us said it's completed a 5.38 megawatt rooftop solar power system at the company’s largest distribution center in Flanders, N.J. The solar roof is estimated to offset 72 percent of the electrical needs for the Toys“R”Us facility, making it the largest operational rooftop solar installation in North America.

Ikea has purchased a wind farm north of Scotland and is investing in rooftop solar photovoltaic installations as part of its plan to use 100 percent renewable energy in the long term. The wind farm in Huntly, Aberdeenshire will generate electricity equivalent to that used in five U.K. stores — or 30 percent of the company’s total consumption in the U.K. 

Green Mountain Energy Company announced that Lord & Taylor will purchase renewable energy for its flagship Manhattan and Eastchester, N.Y. stores. The retailer has committed to purchasing wind energy from Green Mountain for 100 percent of the two stores’ electricity usage.

Who are the greenest of the green retailers in the U.S.? According to the most recent ImagePower Global Green Brand Survey, five of the top 10 green brands in the U.S. are major retail chains, based on consumer opinion and perceptions.

Overstock.com announced the debut of carbon-neutral shipping for every purchase made from its Worldstock Fair Trade inventory, effective immediately. This sustainability effort establishes Overstock.com as one of the largest online retailers to take responsibility for the environmental impact of its product shipping program.

Fifty percent of large businesses and 25 percent of their suppliers have reduced supply chain costs by managing carbon emissions, according to the Carbon Disclosure Project’s 2011 Supply Chain Report. But observers say most retailers have only begun to limit the amount of carbon their supply chains release into the atmosphere.

As thousands of companies try to link their marketing messages to Earth Day, a new study from OgilvyEarth finds that the vast majority aren't having any impact on consumer behavior. While 82 percent of Americans have "good green intentions," only 16 percent are dedicated to fulfilling them.