Top Sustainable Retailers (Yes, You’ll Be Surprised)
While Apple has caught some flack in the past for sub-par corporate social responsibility, the REALeadership Alliance lists it as a top sustainable retailer for the holidays.
According to REALeadership Alliance CEO Will Marre, it was not Apple’s policies and standards that thwarted the computer giant to the top of the list – it was its actual products, which Marre dubs as “sustainability in action.”
“This is the first wave of sustainable innovation. The amount of energy and waste conserved through the iPod is truly mind-blowing,” says Marre. Photo: Flickr/barjack
The reason? The iPod. Marre says Apple has nearly single-handedly transformed a physical product into a digital service, saving millions of tons of carbon emissions and waste associated with manufacturing, selling and disposal of CDs.
As of September 2009, Apple has sold 220 million iPods, and users have downloaded more than 8.5 billion songs from iTunes. To put that in perspective, that’s the equivalent of 85 million CDs that would have been made, according to REALeadership.
Apple wasn’t alone at the top. Other sustainable retailers include Gap, Kohl’s, Staples, REI, Walmart, Target, Best Buy, Nike and Lowes.
“Where we shop and what we buy are more important than ever. I’ve seen more positive change in the past three years than the previous 30 toward sustainability and responsibility,” Marre says. “And it’s happening for one reason. Consumers and employees are demanding it.”
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beautifullyused.com » Tuesday’s Tip: Sustainer Retailers
posted on December 8th, 2009 at 12:51 am
[...] care of your Christmas shopping? You just may be surprised…check out the list of companies at Earth911. Of course there are many other factors to consider when deciding where to shop, and shopping local [...]