Tiffany & Co. has committed to reducing its total global greenhouse gas emissions by 15 percent from 2013 to 2020, according to its 2014 sustainability report. While the high-end retailer experienced a 7 percent increase in global Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions between 2013 and 2014, it said emissions per square foot decreased by 1 percent over the same period.
Tiffany attributed the absolute increase to an 8 percent growth in global building area from the opening of new retail and manufacturing locations. To help reduce is overall carbon footprint, the company continued a global initiative to replace energy-intensive lights in retail displays with efficient LED lights and expanded it to include LED overhead lighting. By the end of 2014, more than 30 retail locations were retrofitted with LED overhead lighting, with an additional 35–40 locations planned for this year.
In 2014, Tiffany helped to advance the development of a globally recognized standard for responsible mining. As a founding member of the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA), the company has collaborated with representatives from industry, NGOs, impacted communities, labor organizations and others to develop third-party, multistakeholder standards for responsible mining. IRMA plans to pilot the draft standard this year.
In 2014, Tiffany received 100 percent of its rough diamonds either directly from a known mine or a supplier with multiple known mines. Last year Tiffany, Target and Helzberg Diamonds committed to more sustainable gold and metals mining.
All of the paper used to make Tiffany’s blue boxes and bags, and the majority of the paper used for its catalogs, comes from papers suppliers that are certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), which assures that wood and paper products come from renewable and well-managed resources. In 2014, the company instituted a requirement for all new global paper vendors for print pieces to have FSC certification.
In 2014, the Tiffany blue box was made with more than 89 percent recycled content, and the Tiffany blue bag was made with 50 percent recycled content. The corrugated boxes, tissue paper and bubble wrap the company uses contain between 60–100 percent recycled content and are recyclable where facilities exist.
