GNC's environmental initiatives have yielded reductions in energy use at its Pittsburgh headquarters and across its 2600+ company-owned stores in the U.S. and Canada, together with reductions in paper use and elimination of all Styrofoam cups at the company's headquarters.
The retailer also made some changes in its energy management program by partnering with Osram Sylvania. For example, GNC is saving 10 million kilowatts annually by converting about 45,000 incandescent lamps to LEDs at its stores and corporate headquarters.
Other energy-efficiency measures include implementing a building-wide lights-off program during non-business hours at corporate headquarters, and installing energy-efficient thermometers at all stores, further increasing energy savings.
GNC is also a major consumer of paper, so recycled paper is an increasingly important component of the company's green program. Paper with recycled content is being used in stores and at headquarters for store mailings, merchandising updates, new item information, and training guides. GNC headquarters also posts store communications on the web portal rather than printing information for the stores when possible.
GNC is also switching to store bags with recycled content that use 25 percent less virgin polyethylene and is promoting reusable bags, purchased in stores, by its customers.
The retailer also has implemented a green document-management program at headquarters that aims to reduce overall paper use through a printer management system that maximizes printer efficiencies, including use of high-yield remanufactured toners and printers that default to double-sided printing, as well as copiers with scanning functionality.
