Environmental Sustainability

Tesco's Big Green Plans Labeled a Failure
February 2, 2012

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.

Get Ready for Green Tuesday 2012
February 1, 2012

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.

RILA Report Highlights Retail Sustainability Leadership and Innovation
January 27, 2012

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 Use Blue Shirts and Geeks to Promote Energy Efficiency
January 27, 2012

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.

Ikea Creates Furniture Out of its Own Cardboard Boxes
January 24, 2012

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.

Ikea Rolls Out Solar Panels to Midwest Stores
January 13, 2012

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.

Wal-Mart Unveils New Sustainability Blog
January 9, 2012

Wal-Mart unveiled a blog on sustainability featuring posts from Andrea Thomas, the retailer’s senior vice president of sustainability. Called The Green Room, Thomas introduced the blog as an opportunity to “develop into a vibrant conversation about helping people live better around the globe."