We've discussed on many occasions how difficult it is to determine the "greeness" of a product or retailer. Here are some criteria based on a Greenopia post, "Which Retailer is the Greenest? It's Not Who You Think!" by Starre Vartan to consider as you perform your due diligence and decision-making:
GREEN BUILDING INITIATIVES: Is the retailer using CFL or LED lighting? Is the building LEED certified? Are they using green energy sources like wind or solar? How are they handling their water use? Is the store recycling?
SUPPLY CHAIN: This is the most difficult criteria to judge. It is nearly impossible to trace the supply chain back through the production chain as a consumer. Concentrate your efforts on what happens once the product arrives Stateside. Where are the distribution centers in the US? How is product transported in the US from DC to store? What type of packaging is used for the product and shipping? Are these resources being recycled? Is there hangar waste? What practices are in place for shipping from Store to Consumer?
SUSTAINABILITY REPORTS: Does the company generate one? Is it readily available? Does it contain clear goals and quantitative measures to evaluate performance? Does it discuss "wins" and areas for improvement? Companies that do this well include Gap, Patagonia and H&M.
RECYCLING/TAKE BACK: Does the company promote recycling or take back of products (especially important with electronics, batteries, etc.) or shopping bags?
STOCK: Does the retailer offer sustainable products and or services?
Greenopia used a modified version of the above criteria to rate the top 25 US retailers. Ikea scored 3 Green Leaves. Target, Wal-mart and Nike got 2. 10 out of the 25 did not meet the criteria. Big companies can lead the way - good for the environment is good for business.
--till next week Restore, Recycle, Refresh, Renew
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment