Best Buy said 29 facilities across its supply chain now hold Green Business Certification Inc.'s TRUE zero-waste certification, a milestone in the retailer's wider sustainability effort.
Here's what to know
According to Waste Dive, reaching 29 certified sites allows Best Buy to check off a goal it had established for its distribution network. The company said its Chino, California, supply chain facility was the first to receive the certification in 2021, and it did not name the site that was last to qualify.
In an August 18 press release, the company said: "Waste reduction is an important part of our environmental efforts to conserve resources and promote sustainable operations across all our business."
The retailer said a combination of packaging changes, expanded recycling efforts, and other "innovative practices" throughout its operations helped it reach the milestone.
One of those measures is an employee-led "green team" at each facility. Best Buy said those teams help advance waste-diversion targets while teaching coworkers how to cut waste and use materials more efficiently.
More background
For a company that moves massive volumes of electronics, appliances, and accessories, even small packaging improvements can add up quickly.
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Best Buy said cardboard and plastic make up the biggest share of the material it collects and diverts from landfills. The company also repurposes some expanded polystyrene foam by using industrial densifiers to compress it into solid blocks that partners then convert into new products.
The announcement also fits into a broader company strategy: Best Buy has said it aims to achieve net-zero emissions by 2040.
What's being done?
The waste milestone comes as Best Buy has also grown its solar power portfolio. Waste Dive reported that the company added a solar garden at one of its New York stores and additional solar generation near a distribution center in California, with the New York project marking its first solar installation colocated at a store.
This is just one example of a mainstream brand taking an eco-friendly approach, and supporting these companies can demonstrate a consumer appetite for such practices that benefit the planet.
Best Buy head of environmental sustainability Tim Dunn framed the achievement as part of the company's business model rather than just a one-off sustainability headline.
"This achievement reaffirms our dedication not only to minimize our environmental impact but also improve our efficiency for the long-term success of the company," Dunn said in the release.
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