Over the past two years, we have made significant progress
and have taken dozens of tangible steps to reduce our impact on
the environment. In part, we have:
-
Installed active solar power systems at 40 Macy’s and
Bloomingdale’s stores in California, Hawaii and New
Jersey;
-
Invested in energy efficiency projects and consumption
reduction initiatives that reduced our total energy use by 10
percent (in addition to a 9 percent reduction in the previous
five years);
-
Decreased our use of office/copy paper by 34 percent and
paper used in marketing by 23 percent;
-
Increased to 63 percent the proportion of recycled or
certified paper used in our marketing materials and to 82
percent in our shopping bags;
-
Encouraged nearly 1.5 million customers to review their
credit card statements online versus paper by mail;
-
Initiated a program to divert up to 60 percent of the waste
from our stores away from dumping in landfills;
-
Launched an internal Web site, Green Living, so our 160,000-plus associates can interact with the company on
sustainability-related topics at work and home;
-
Substituted biodegradable packing materials in place of
foam “peanuts” in shipping products bought by
customers online;
- Pioneered efforts to reduce the number of empty trucks on
the nation’s highways through a coordinated program
called Empty Miles Service that matches empty trucks/trailers
with other shippers or carriers that can use the space.
Macy’s has been recognized by ForestEthics for
reducing mailings and overall paper consumption. The EPA has
rated Macy’s as one of its top 20 partners for generating
the most green electricity on site. And Newsweek ranked
Macy’s among the top 50 greenest companies in America for
its efforts with solar power, recycled paper and eco-friendly
merchandise.
Three years ago, we inaugurated a national Earth Week
marketing campaign to create more public awareness of
sustainability. The National Park Foundation and local
conservation organizations have benefitted from donations
totalling $7 million from our customers and our company during
the first two years.
While we are a 151-year old company, we know we have more
to learn and more to do in reducing our overall impact on the
environment. We want Macy’s, Inc. to be a leader in the
global effort to improve our climate, and we are moving forward
with conviction.