Burt's Bees has pledged to cut its U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 35 percent per dollar sales from 2006 to 2011. Last fall, Burt's Bees joined the US EPA's Climate Leaders program and has spent the last six months completing a GHG inventory.
Sustainability Goals set for 2020 include sustainable products and packaging, zero landfill waste, 100% renewable energy, LEED certified facilities, and 100% employee engagement.
The company is taking big and small steps toward carbon reduction by installing highly energy efficient IT systems and replacing conventional lighting with high efficiency T5-HO high-bay lighting. The company has also installed a sensor-activated motorized drive roller conveyor at its distribution center in North Carolina, which has already helped it increase efficiency and decrease the company’s energy use.
Earlier this year, the company purchased 3,954,000 kilowatt hours of renewable energy credits generated by wind farms, offseting 100 percent of the company’s electricity use.
In November, Clorox paid almost $1 billion for Burt’s. Some have worried that Clorox will not maintain Burt’s Bees environmental practices, but others have said that the purchase of Burt’s Bees could make Clorox more green.
You can see a video of CEO John Replogle speaking about Burt’s Bees and sustainability here.
