FEATURED RETAILER: Kohl's

Based in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, Kohl's is a specialty department store that operates 1,097 stores in 49 states. Kohl's has a strong commitment to environmental leadership as evidenced by the list of some of their achievements below.

Net Zero Greenhouse Gas Emissions

• Kohl's Net Zero goal was met in 2010 through programs that range from energy management to an industry leading green power purchase initiative.
• The company measures its carbon footprint through the guidelines provided by the Environmental Protection Agency Climate Leaders.
• Kohl's calculates their emissions related to business, including business travel and transportation of merchandise to their stores. These calculations are reported annually to the Carbon Disclosure Project.
• Beginning in 2009, Kohl's has contracted with a third-party emissions verifier to assure the accuracy of the footprint.

Green Energy

• In 2006, Kohl's joined the EPA Green Power Partnership to support the use and development of renewable energy. In 2009, the company purchased more than 1,367,376,000-kilowatt hours of renewable energy credits for use in 2010, and this purchase "greens" 100% of Kohl's 2010 total energy use.
• Kohl's ranks first in retail and second overall on EPA's quarterly rankings of top green power purchasers with more than 1.4 billion kWh purchased in the areas of wind, solar, biomass and small hydro.
• Kohl's ranks 12th on EPA's quarterly rankings for on-site generation through its solar program, accounting for 15,689,000 kWh annually.
• Generating 25 megawatts of electricity in California alone, Kohl's is the largest single retail host of solar electricity in North America. An average solar power system on a California store has 1,650 solar panels that nearly cover the roof of the typical 88,000-square-foot building.

Energy Efficiency

• As of December 2010, 590 Kohl's stores have earned the ENERGY STAR® distinction. In addition, they use the ENERGY STAR® portfolio manager to measure energy performance.
• Kohl's was named 2010 ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year for Energy Management by the EPA and U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). This distinction recognizes Kohl's commitment to energy management and reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.

Building Design

• To date, Kohl's has more than 140 LEED-certified locations including new buildings, existing buildings and tenant spaces.
• Since 2008, all newly constructed stores have been built according to a prototype that received LEED initial certification at the Silver level from the U.S. Green Building Council.
• An estimated 20 percent of the total building materials (by cost) used by Kohl's are manufactured and harvested from within 500 miles of new store sites, and building other materials are chosen to contain the maximum amounts of post- and pre-consumer recycled content.
• All waste generated by the construction of new Kohl's stores is managed well, reducing landfill waste by an estimated 50 to 75 percent.
• Using native and adoptive vegetation and a "smart" irrigation controller, new Kohl's stores have reduced water usage for landscaping irrigation by more than 50 percent. They have also reduced water consumption 20-30% by using water-reducing plumbing fixtures in new Kohl's stores.

Transportation

• In 2010, Kohl's made 17,456 backhaul trips to their distribution centres from their vendors on return trips to stores. This eliminated 4,151,549 empty miles.
• Kohl's uses rail transportation for 54% of all inbound transportation since rail uses less fuel and causes fewer emissions than truck services.
• Kohl's joined the EPA SmartWay Shipper program in 2007 and was recognized in 2008 and 2009 with the SmartWay Shipper Excellence Award for achievements in efficient shipping of merchandise.
• In 2010, nine of Kohl's top 10 carriers had the highest rating of 1.25 in the EPA SmartWay program, a program that stresses fuel efficiency and carbon-reduction strategies. In total, Kohl's achieved a 1.19 out of 1.25 rating for miles traveled in 2010 on EPA SmartWay-rated carriers.

Green Supply Chain

• In 2009, Kohl's began a program to work with their business partners to consider sustainability. Merchandise vendors and carriers receive a sustainability score to measure overall performance.
• The company measures the sustainability practices of its 300 top suppliers quarterly and holds annual supplier roundtable discussions that provide education and resources in the realm of retail sustainability.
• Kohl's has implemented a sustainable purchasing policy within its procurement areas. All non-merchandise vendors are required to answer a series of questions on environmental management/content as part of the procurement process.

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