Best Buy has proudly reduced our carbon emissions 61% since 2009, and today we are announcing another huge stride toward our pledge to be carbon neutral by 2040.
We’re unveiling the new Prospero 2 Best Buy Solar in partnership with U.S Bank and Longroad Energy. Our portion of the project will offset the carbon impact of 300 Best Buy stores, approximately 30% of our U.S. store portfolio, for 10 years.
The solar field, located in Andrews County, Texas, began producing power in August. Covering more than 2,500 acres, it is the largest renewable energy project in which we’ve been involved.
“We are committed to taking action to be carbon neutral across our business by 2040,” said Tim Dunn, Best Buy’s head of environmental sustainability. “We are proud to be making another investment in renewable energy that accelerates our sustainability goals and addresses climate change in our operations and the communities we serve.”
This solar project is part of our broader commitment to build a more sustainable planet and make a positive impact for our communities. To help meet our sustainability goals, we’ve also invested in Little Bear Solar Project in Fresno County, California, and the Best Buy Solar Field in Marin, South Carolina. We have also further reduced our carbon emissions by sourcing renewable energy from the Big Star Solar Project in Bastrop County, Texas.
Getting to zero: reducing our carbon emissions
Since 2009, we have accelerated our environmental goals, introducing sustainability programs that touch every part of our business. We’ve reduced our carbon emissions by 61% as a result.
To do more to create a sustainable planet, we also signed the Climate Pledge in September 2020. That includes a commitment to be carbon neutral across our business by 2040, a decade faster than our previous goal of 2050.
In addition to the solar projects, we have also launched a sustainable living product category, sponsor beehives near our corporate campus in Richfield, Minnesota, and helped our customers recycle more than 2 billion pounds of electronics and appliances in recent years.
Our environmental work has landed us on the top five of Barron’s list of the 100 Most Sustainable Companies in America for three straight years. We’ve also been recognized on the CDP Climate A List, where we ranked in the top tier of companies fighting climate change.
Click here to learn more about our efforts to create a more sustainable planet.