Remember when we discussed the rush by major retailers to upgrade their shopping bags? Well, Macy's has finished designing its new bag. All Macy's stores will begin carrying reusable tote bags made from 100 percent natural cotton. The totes, created in partnership with Cotton Incorporated, will sell for $3.95, with $1 of the purchase price donated to the National Park Foundation. On Saturday, April 26, the first 100 to 150 customers at every Macy's store will receive a free reusable tote bag. It's pretty cute. The company is also going green in a big way with some interesting changes:
The store will replace the primary handled shopping bag used in its stores with one made from kraft paper with 30 percent recycled material. The new bag also is 100 percent recyclable. It replaces a laminated paper bag that is neither made from recycled content nor recyclable. In total, Macy's uses more than 43 million handled shopping bags each year.
The company's direct-to-consumer businesses -- macys.com, bloomingdales.com and Bloomingdale's By Mail -- will begin using loosefill in-the-box packing material that is 100 percent biodegradable, compostable and recyclable. The material is used to prevent damage to fragile merchandise as it is shipped to customers. Previously, the company used "packing peanuts" (synthetic, non-biodegradable material) for this purpose. The new material is made from raw ingredients including pure corn and potato starch. It breaks down in water in nine minutes and will not harm the environment. Each year, Macy's, Inc. uses approximately 3.1 million cubic feet of in-the-box packing material.
Macy's stores and macys.com will continue to use recyclable folding gift boxes and wrapping tissue made from 100 percent recycled material. Each year, Macy's uses approximately 48 million folding gift boxes and 255 million sheets of wrapping tissue. Bloomingdale's wrapping tissue (75 million sheets used each year) will be converted to 100 percent recycled material in spring 2008. In addition, Bloomingdale's will offer a 100 percent recycled paper and ribbon gift-wrapping option for holiday 2008.
"Our strategies for sustainability include aggressively reducing wasteful behavior, decreasing our use of scarce resources and pursuing environmentally friendly solutions whenever we have the option to do so," said Macy's, Inc. Vice Chair Tom Cole. "As a leading national retailer with a significant workforce, we have the opportunity to make a meaningful difference in improving the environment. And we will do so. But we must operate within the bounds of good business decision-making so that the actions we take are measurable, sustainable and enduring."
Going green is also good for business, as surveys show that customers look approvingly on companies that voluntarily help the environment.
