|
Fluorescent Bulb Recycling
To increase sustainable practices throughout our company, Macy's, Inc. rolled out
a fluorescent bulb recycling program in August, 2008. Fluorescent lights are
extremely energy efficient when compared to typical incandescent bulbs, using
only 20-25 percent of the electricity. And they can last 10 times as long.
(That's why Macy's and Bloomingdale's together use over a million fluorescent
bulbs each year.) But fluorescent bulbs do contain a very small amount of mercury,
a toxic metal. If not properly managed, just one "low-mercury" bulb can leach into
ground water and contaminate an acre of drinking water resources. The fluorescent
bulb recycling program recovers 99.999 percent of available mercury in fluorescents,
closing the loop on this energy efficient product.
Eco Products
In addition to key initiatives in energy conservation, recycling and using
green materials, Macy's is also committed to identifying - and offering -
merchandise that is eco-friendly. A good example is in our Cosmetics
department. In 10 stores we are piloting shops-within-a-shop called
Beautiful Planet. These shops feature eight natural and organic brands.
Even the displays are built from sustainable materials,
including bamboo, recycled steel and aluminum,
recycled eco-resin, and low VOC paint
Energy Use Reduction
We've built a culture of energy conservation, and we've made
capital investments on energy assets such as HVAC and Lighting
upgrades and energy management controls.
Among our tools is a company wide Energy Management
Information system, a Web-based portal that allows executives
to pinpoint energy waste. So if the lights in a particular store
somewhere in America don't click off at the proper time after
the close of business, an alarm goes off in our central
control center and we can react immediately.
Reducing the environmental impact of our company is a cost-effective and practical business choice. By managing our energy
needs in a resource-efficient way, we can save money, reduce our
overhead, and preserve future resources for others.
We are on track to reach our goal to reduce energy consumption
by 10 percent to 15 percent between 2007 and 2010, on top of
the 9 percent reduction over the previous five years. In 2008,
we reduced our energy use by nearly 6 percent.
Paper Shopping Bags
In fall 2008, Macy's replaced its laminated
handled shopping bags with new ones
made from kraft paper with 30 percent
recycled materials. Our new handled bags
are both recycled and recyclable. Our
former bags were not recyclable, much less
recycled. Incidentally, Macy's uses more than
63 million handled shopping bags annually.
Successful Copy Paper Test
In a year-long pilot of encouraging conservation of office paper in
our Purchasing and Accounts Payable departments in Cincinnati, a
conscious change in behavior resulted in a 46 percent reduction in
the use of copier and printer paper. If we can replicate these results
across the company, we would save 2.5 million pounds of paper.
That would have the environmental impact of removing 570 cars
from the road, along with an expense reduction of more then
$2.3 million. Duplex (double sided) printing has contributed to the
reduction in the amount of paper used across the company.
Already our company wide consumption of office paper was down
by 19 percent from 2007 to 2008.
Harnessing Sunlight
Solar panels have been installed on the roofs of more than 30 Macy's
stores, primarily in California. The installation of solar panels in these
locations has the environmental impact over 30 years of planting
21,000 acres of trees or providing power to more than 7,800 homes
during the day.
Where we can, we will pursue the most environmentally friendly solution.
As an example, we are excited about a technology called SolaTubes that
is being used in some of our distribution centers. The technology captures
sunlight and projects it into a space during daylight hours, enabling
associates to leave the artificial lights off.
This technology is very cool, excuse the pun, because we are using
100 percent sunlight to light our facilities. Using this technology improves
productivity and morale. Research shows that people are happier, more
productive and feel safer when working in sunlit environments. This new
technology is similar to the feeling that people get from having a window
in their office.
Sustainable Paper Sources
Macy's, Inc. has been aggressively adopting the use of paper that is
recycled and from sustainable sources. This certification shows that
Macy's supports conservation, responsible management and community
benefits for people near the forests that provide our paper. In 2008, nearly
75 percent of paper used in our newspaper inserts and direct mailers was
certified or recycled.
Using recycled paper is an important step in supporting sustainability for
several key reasons:
- Producing recycled paper requires between 28 percent and 70 percent less
energy than turning trees into paper.
- Every ton of paper recycled saves at least 7,100 gallons of water and enough
electricity to power an average three-bedroom home for a year.
- Even though paper is biodegradable, it releases methane - a greenhouse
gas 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide - as it decomposes.
That's why Macy's, Inc. is so committed to recycling. And you can put that on paper.
USDOE Project
We are accelerating our adoption of energy savings technologies in Macy's
stores though two design projects - one related to a new building and one
for a retrofit of an existing store - now being conducted in conjunction with
the U.S. Department of Energy National Technology Laboratory. Through these
projects, we will develop a new commercial building design that
will reduce energy consumption by 50 percent and a retrofit to an existing
building design that will have a 30 percent energy savings.
|