Entries filed under 'CSR'

Honey, We Shrunk the Electric Bill: REI and the Path to Sustainability

When it comes to the environment, can business be part of the solution? Conventional wisdom says that growing a business means increasing environmental and social impacts. More sales must mean more trash to the landfill and burning more coal to make the electricity that keeps our lights on… right?  Maybe not. As a co-op devoted to getting people outdoors, enjoying nature and taking good care of it, REI is out to chart a different future for business. And we're starting to show some ...

Posted by Kevin H on June 29, 2011 6:57 PM & Tagged CSR, Climate Change, MBtu, Stewardship report, carbon emissions, energy, growth and sustainablity | permalink | Comments



REI Releases 2010 Stewardship Report

Why does REI report on its sustainable business and CSR practices? REI's CEO and President Sally Jewell notes that 2005 was a turning point for REI's efforts in corporate social responsibility (CSR)—or stewardship as we refer to our actions.  It was the year we transitioned from "random acts of kindness" to a process-driven approach towards sustainable business thinking.  What changed in 2005 was the recognition that if we were truly going to make a difference, we needed to become better ...

Posted by Kevin H on June 1, 2011 2:07 PM & Tagged 2010 report, CSR, Corporate Social Responsibility, FSC, GRI, community, greenhouse gas, reporting, stewardship, sustainability and volunteerism | permalink | Comments



Ultrasonic Bike-Part Cleaners Prove Healthier and More Efficient

Many of REI’s best stewardship practices are sparked from our employees. What began as an idea from Denise Mannino, master bike technician at REI’s Alderwood store in Lynnwood, Washington, resulted in the introduction of an ultrasonic bike-part cleaning tool in each of REI’s bike shops across the country. While visiting the annual Interbike trade show as an REI employee, Denise discovered an ultrasonic parts cleaner that combined sound waves and a nontoxic solution to clean, degrease and oil ...

Posted by Bethany H on April 11, 2011 5:37 PM & Tagged CSR, Denise Mannino, REI Alderwood, bicycle, bike parts, stewardship and ultrasonic cleaner | permalink | Comments



Eco News: Jetboil® Introduces Tool to Recycle Gas Canisters

Three cheers for product innovation that solves environmental challenges.  In 2004, Jetboil® successfully entered the backpacking stove field with their innovative, efficient, lightweight cooking system. Now, working with REI, they have introduced CrunchIt™, a solution to the biggest challenge of disposable canister stoves. The challenge? How to responsibly dispose of empty butane gas canisters. Butane canister stoves have some great advantages, but users aren't sure how to recycle the empty ...

Posted by Kevin H on October 25, 2010 5:53 PM & Tagged Backpacking Stove, CSR, CrunchIt, JETBOIL, butane canister, recycling, stewardship and sustainability | permalink | Comments



REI Cuts Carbon Emissions While Our Business Grows

Last year was a good one for REI. We reduced our greenhouse gas (GHG) impact in 2009 by over 10% even though the co-op grew. In fact, since 2006 our climate impact has gone down by over 22% while our sales have gone up by 23%. That’s a pretty good headline.  Of course the details are more complicated, so we report our GHG emission in REI’s annual stewardship report (which is audited by Climate Counts). Conventional wisdom says that if we grow, we’ll increase our negative impacts, but there’s a ...

Posted by Kevin H on September 20, 2010 2:50 PM & Tagged CSR, Climate Change, GHG, REI stewardship report, carbon emissions, energy, green building, greenhouse gas, growth and sustainablity | permalink | Comments