Kohl's bags EPA SmartWay Excellence Award

07 Oct '09

3 min read

Kohl's Department Stores awarded U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) 2009 SmartWay Excellence Award. This is the second consecutive year the company has been recognized for its significant efforts to protect the environment by reducing fuel use and greenhouse gas emissions in its transportation programs. This award comes on the heels of Kohl's recent recognition as the number-one green retailer in the Newsweek Green Rankings and as an EPA Green Power Partner of the Year.

EPA's SmartWay brand signifies environmentally clean, fuel efficient transportation options. Kohl's joined the EPA SmartWay program in 2007 and has been recognized with the SmartWay Excellence Award since 2008 for its support in moving toward cleaner air and helping to conserve energy. Last year, Kohl's reduced transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions by 51,271 tons – that's equivalent to taking 8,457 cars off the road for a year.

“At Kohl's, reducing greenhouse gas emissions when transporting merchandise is just one way we work to reduce our environmental footprint over the long term,” said Ken Bonning, Kohl's executive vice president of store planning and logistics. “We're honored that EPA is recognizing our efforts to protect and conserve the environment as we continue to look at how to reduce energy use in our daily operations.”

"EPA is pleased to recognize these SmartWay Partners with a 2009 Excellence Award. I commend Kohl's Department Stores for its leadership in promoting sustainable transportation practices through the SmartWay Transport Partnership," said Margo T. Oge, director of the Office of Transportation and Air Quality, EPA. "These actions demonstrate a commitment to a cleaner environment and more secure energy supply."

Transportation and Emissions Strategies Recognized by SmartWay

Transportation initiatives that helped reduce Kohl's carbon dioxide emissions last year include trucking efficiencies and cleaner transport options.

• Kohl's strives to make every mile count. When Kohl's trucks make deliveries from distribution centers to stores, the company strives to fill the trucks on the return routes. This practice of looking to fill trucks in both directions has saved 826,398 empty miles.
• More than 40 percent of Kohl's inbound merchandise is now transported by train, which is three times cleaner than over-the-road trucking.

Other Recent Green Recognition
For the past three years, EPA has recognized Kohl's with a Green Power Leadership Award, most recently the Green Power Partner of the Year, for increasing its green power purchase in one year by 255 percent - reaching 50 percent renewable energy use. In September, Kohl's was also ranked as the number one green retailer in the Newsweek Green Ranking of America's 500 largest corporations, and the 18th greenest company overall.

Kohl's Green Strategies
Kohl's has long been operating with a commitment to environmental responsibility. The company focuses on maximizing energy efficiency, minimizing waste, improving new building designs and encouraging environmental values among its associates, customers and business partners. Of note:

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