Water scarcity is a growing issue nation-wide. That’s why we are taking steps to reduce our water consumption and help our customers do the same.
By monitoring our water consumption across our business, we are proud to share that we have reduced our water usage across the company by 24% since 2019. From our stores to distribution centers and headquarters in Minnesota, we are committed to sustainably managing the water we use to help the planet.
Here’s a quick look at steps we’ve taken to achieve our goal to reduce the amount of water we use across our business.
Reducing our company’s water usage
Our business relies on water to operate and many of the products we offer, like washing machines, are dependent on water. That’s why we have taken bold action to protect the water we rely on.
In 2020, we created the Water Stewardship Action Committee, a group of employees from across the company who share a common goal to help reduce water usage in our own operations and for our customers. Through this committee, we set our first water reduction target, including a goal to reduce enterprise water usage 15% by 2025. And in 2021, we achieved a reduction of more than 24% since 2019 in our U.S and Canadian operations.
“We formed the Water Stewardship Action Committee to drive meaningful positive change and we are excited to see the results we have achieved so far,” said Hugh Cherne, associate director of sustainability for Best Buy and co-lead of the Water Stewardship Action Committee. “Our committee is on a mission to continue reducing how much water we use as a company and improving water security for Best Buy and the communities we serve.”
Though we achieved our goal, we could see a slight increase in water usage in 2022. With the return to normal business operations following adjustments made during the pandemic, such as our stores temporarily moving to curbside pickup in 2020 or the majority of our corporate campus working remotely, we expect to mitigate any increase. We have launched several projects across the business including new water management tools and a reporting system to identify leaks faster in our stores, supply chain facilities and corporate campus. This includes retrofitting over 200 faucets with touchless models that use about two-thirds less water.
Reducing our customers’ water usage
We are also helping our customers reduce their water usage by offering ENERGY STAR certified products that save energy and water. Additionally, we partner with utility companies to offer rebates for water-saving devices like the Rachio smart sprinkler control system.
In 2019, we set a goal to reduce the carbon emissions of the ENERGY STAR products we sell 20% by 2030 over a 2017 baseline. While most ENERGY STAR products are certified to use less energy, many of them, including washing machines and dishwashers, also use less water than standard models.
You can learn more about our water consumption in our ESG report, here.