Best Buy has committed to be carbon neutral across our business by 2040, and we’re taking another big step toward that goal by expanding our use of renewable energy.
We recently signed a 10-year agreement with Constellation, a leading energy company, to power 57 stores and a 600,000-square-foot distribution center with solar energy sourced from the 140-megawatt Big Star Solar project that is currently in development in Texas. Our portion of the project is expected to produce approximately 46,845 megawatt hours per year.
This initiative is part of our broader commitment to build a better, more sustainable planet for our customers and the communities we serve. We’ve reduced our carbon emissions 61% since 2009 and have committed to being carbon neutral by 2040.
“Now, more than ever, we need to take action to protect the planet today and for future generations to come,” said Tim Dunn, Best Buy’s head of environmental sustainability. “We are proud to be procuring renewable energy that addresses climate change across our operations and the community.”
This renewable energy project is currently under development in Bastrop County, Texas, and is expected to begin generating energy in the second quarter of 2022. Best Buy and the other partners are expected to collectively reduce carbon dioxide emissions by more than 143,000 metric tons annually, the equivalent of removing nearly 31,000 passenger vehicles from the road for one year.
Our commitment to help the planet
Through our sustainability and carbon reduction efforts, we have dramatically reduced our emissions since 2009. We’re working toward achieving a 75% reduction by 2030, and we signed the Climate Pledge in September 2020, making a commitment to be carbon neutral across our business by 2040 — a decade faster than our previous goal of 2050.
This is the third solar project we’ve joined in the past year. We’ve also invested in the Best Buy Solar Field in Martin, South Carolina, and Little Bear Solar Project in Fresno County, California.
Our work to address climate change has earned us a spot on the top five of Barron’s list of the 100 Most Sustainable Companies in America for three straight years, including No. 1 on the most recent list. We’ve also been recognized on the CDP Climate A List, where we ranked in the top tier of companies fighting climate change for the last three years.
Click here to learn more about our efforts to create a more sustainable planet.