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.”