Environmental Sustainability

Wal-Mart announced a plan to install solar panels on up to 60 additional stores in California, expanding the company’s solar portfolio to more than 75 percent of its stores in the state. The move would make California the first state in the nation where Wal-Mart has devoted this level of commitment to renewable energy, it said.

Amid a climate of economic uncertainty, Americans now place a higher value on their own financial stability over environmental responsibility. However, they're still looking to make sensible environmental choices, according to the 2011 Green Gauge US Report from GfK Roper Consulting, a division of GfK Custom Research North America.

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.