While the holiday shopping season is in full-swing here in the U.S., there’s another crowd gathering in Paris for the global conference on climate change, also referred to as COP21. Best Buy’s Laura Bishop, vice president of Public Affairs & Sustainability, is there to represent our sustainability efforts.
Sustainability
CDP released its S&P 500 Annual Report, including the Carbon Disclosure Leadership Index, in which Best Buy received the maximum score of 100. Adding to our “A” designation for our carbon reduction program, Best Buy achieved a perfect score.
Nearly 500 employees spent part of last Friday filling care packages with snacks, speakers and drawings in an effort to lift the spirits of the men and women serving abroad who aren’t able to be home with friends and family during the holiday season.
Best Buy has been awarded a prized position on the CDP Climate A List for our efforts to reduce carbon emissions in the past year.
The commendation puts Best Buy in the top 5 percent of thousands of companies that submit annual emissions data and climate management strategies to CDP (formerly Carbon Disclosure Project).
We are in good company. Other corporate “A Listers” now include sustainability powerhouses and partners such as Apple, Google, LG, Microsoft, Samsung, Sony and Sprint.
The A List designation comes shortly after Best Buy set a new goal to reduce carbon emissions by 45 percent by 2020 and signed the American Business Act Pledge on Climate Change.
Last year, Best Buy shipped more than 12 million packages to customers. That’s a lot of shipping boxes.
The cardboard we use is FSC-certified, meaning it comes from responsibly managed forests, but now we are using less of it. We recently “right-sized” our shipping boxes, which will save more than 440 tons of cardboard a year.
That means our customers are receiving packaging that is less wasteful. Our employees are experiencing a faster and easier packaging process. The company is seeing a reduction in costs associated with materials and labor.
Today we are proud that Best Buy is joining other leading U.S. companies in signing the American Business Act Pledge on Climate Change.
This is an historic moment for Best Buy. In our pledge, we committed to further advancing our efforts toward addressing this global challenge. Here’s what we said:
- We will reduce our own carbon emissions by 45 percent by 2020 from operational reductions and renewable sourcing. This science-based goal builds on our 2014 achievement of a 26 percent reduction in carbon emissions within our operations.
Not only is saving energy good for the environment, it’s also good for your pocketbook. Here are some little things you can do during Energy Awareness Month.
Last week, I traded my cubicle for riding shotgun in a Geek Squad repair van. Geek Squad Repair Double Agent Bruce Anderson, of St. Louis, let me tag along with him for the day. I wanted to see firsthand how our employees handle environmental issues, but I witnessed a lot more than that.
At Best Buy, we are committed to continuously improving our environmental performance. We focus where we can make the most impact – such as reducing our carbon emissions in our operations and selling sustainable products.
Best Buy recently joined forces with two nonprofits in Washington, D.C., to help older adults connect with technology — often for the very first time — with teen mentors by their side.
The company, along with Cyber-Seniors and the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Washington, brought together 30 teens and 23 seniors at the Best Buy Teen Tech Center. The event included a reception and demonstrations led by Best Buy and Geek Squad trainers. Several other employees from area stores volunteered to help out, too, as the event happened during the Best Buy Week of Service.
Best Buy has been named to the Dow Jones Index for Sustainable Investing (DJSI) for the fifth consecutive year.
The Index is the official sustainability performance ranking of the largest 600 North American companies. It follows a best-in-class approach to measure and compare companies on environmental, social and corporate governance criteria. Investors around the world use it as a tool to evaluate leadership and make decisions about which companies they want to invest in.
This year, Best Buy increased its ranking in the retail category, scoring in the 88th percentile, 20 points above the average retail company.
Operating 1,400 stores across the U.S., Best Buy can have a huge environmental impact – and we want to make sure ours is a positive one.
The Best Buy Environmental Management System (EMS) has recently been re-certified to ISO 14001, a voluntary global standard of quality that reflects our commitment to the environment. Achieving ISO 14001 certification is a BIG undertaking. Why did we choose to go through the rigorous process?
The simple answer is: It’s good for business.
Implementing an EMS gives us the tools and structure to effectively and efficiently lessen our environmental impact.
There was chanting, there was laughing and there was a lot of geeking out over technology.
I spent the last two days with more than 100 very enthusiastic Twin Cities-area students at Geek Squad Academy in St. Paul. Best Buy puts on these camps across the country to give underserved kids hands-on experience with technology to help develop skills and inspire future careers. The curriculum invites them to become “Junior Agents” through exploring digital citizenship, film production, computer programming and robotics, as well as 3D printing and circuitry.