Retailer Macy’s Inc. (NYSE:M) announced it will begin using recycled paper shopping bags, as well as biodegradable packaging for its online shipments, as part of a commitment to more sustainable business practices.
The changes will phase-in beginning this month, as the company replaces the primary handled shopping bag used in its stores with one made from kraft paper with 30% recycled material. The new bag also is 100% recyclable. It replaces a laminated paper bag that is neither made from recycled content nor recyclable. In total, Macy’s said it uses more than 43 million handled shopping bags each year.
All Macy’s stores also will begin carrying reusable tote bags made from 100% natural cotton. The totes, created in partnership with Cotton Incorporated, will sell for $3.95, with $1 of the purchase price donated to the National Park Foundation.
The company’s direct-to-consumer businesses–macys.com, bloomingdales.com and Bloomingdale’s By Mail–will begin using loosefill packing material that is 100% biodegradable, compostable and recyclable. Previously, the company used "packing peanuts" (synthetic, non-biodegradable material) for this purpose. The new material is made from raw ingredients including pure corn and potato starch. Each year, Macy’s, Inc. uses approximately 3.1 million cubic feet of in-the-box packing material.
In addition, Bloomingdale’s wrapping tissue (75 million sheets used each year) will be converted to 100% recycled material in spring 2008. And Bloomingdale’s will offer a 100% recycled paper and ribbon gift-wrapping option for holiday 2008.
"Our strategies for sustainability include aggressively reducing wasteful behavior, decreasing our use of scarce resources and pursuing environmentally friendly solutions whenever we have the option to do so," said Macy’s, Inc. Vice Chair Tom Cole. "But we must operate within the bounds of good business decision-making so that the actions we take are measurable, sustainable and enduring."
By the end of 2008, the company will be hosting solar energy panels on more than 30 of its stores, primarily in California, it said. Solar power, combined with energy efficiency projects, will reduce grid energy consumption by 40% in these stores. Energy consumption per square foot companywide has been reduced by about 9% over the past five years, the company said.
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