A year ago, I participated in the COP 21 Climate Negotiations in Paris. It was a historic moment as nearly 200 countries came together to agree to take important steps to address climate change by reducing global temperatures through the reduction of carbon emissions and other measures.
Now, as COP22 convenes in Marrakesh, Morocco, world leaders are again discussing action items to ensure that the agreed-upon measures come to fruition. We believe that it is important for Best Buy to remain engaged with leading companies and the rest of the world in a commitment to aggressive, science-based carbon reduction. Last year, we committed to reduce our carbon emissions by 45 percent by 2020 from operational reductions and renewable sourcing. In addition, we committed to helping our customers save energy and finding ways to assort more sustainable products.
Reducing carbon is the right thing to do for the environment, and it makes good business sense. By driving efficiency within our organization we also reduce costs and disruption. Just last year, half of our U.S. locations experienced a weather-related closure. Businesses like ours do best in a stable weather environment, and that’s why combating climate change remains a priority for Best Buy.
In just one year, we have already made incredible progress:
- We reduced our carbon by nearly 43 percent (over a 2009 baseline).
- We completed a lighting retrofit in more than 800 stores, saving 50 percent of our lighting energy.
- We also began transitioning our Geekmobile fleet to the hybrid Toyota Prius c, reducing those emissions 50 percent.
- Last year, we have sold enough ENERGY STAR® certified products that, over the product lifetime, will help our customers realize $67 million in utility bill savings.
- CDP awarded Best Buy an A- score for carbon reduction performance and climate management strategy, one of the highest scores among retailers.
We have more to do, and here’s what we are working on:
- We are piloting overhead LED lights, making improvements to our store heating and cooling system, and using more efficient outdoor lights.
- We are looking to shift to clean energy purchasing such as onsite renewables, offsite renewables and green tariffs, in addition to Renewable Energy Credits.
At Best Buy, we remain committed to the transition to a low-carbon economy.
For more about our sustainability efforts, follow us on Twitter: @BestBuyCSR.