Sustainability

A new report from Nielsen offers concrete evidence that brands really can do well by doing good.

A landmark global report from Nielsen show that brands that demonstrate a commitment to sustainability grow faster than those that don’t. According to the 2015 Nielsen Global Corporate Sustainability Report, in the past year, sales of consumer goods from brands with a demonstrated commitment to sustainability have grown more than 4% globally, while those without grew less than 1%.

Irvine Company is making history as the first major real estate company in the world to plan portfolio-wide use of energy storage.

The Irvine Company on Monday announced an initiative to become the world's first major real estate company to create a fleet of hybrid-electric buildings powered by state-of-the-art energy storage systems from Tesla Energy.

The company recently signed a memorandum of understanding for the ground-breaking environmental initiative with San Francisco-based Advanced Microgrid Solutions (AMS).

If you were to read an article about leaders in savvy energy and sustainability management programs and initiatives, who do you think that would be? Government? Manufacturing? Actually, it’s the retail industry, which has been a leader in energy efficiency investments since 2008.

Sarasota, Fla. -- Taubman Centers celebrates two milestones for The Mall at University Town Center in Sarasota, Florida.

Oct. 16 marks the one year anniversary for the property and it has recently been named “Best Retail Development, Florida” by the International Property Awards and on.

Twenty-year Walmart veteran Laura Phillips is set to become the company's senior VP of sustainability, effective Jan. 1, according to GreenBiz. Manuel Gomez, who previously held the title, has accepted a new position with Walmart de Mexico and Central America as VP of strategy for e-commerce, the report said.

BrandsMart USA is giving its store in West Palm Beach, Florida, a comprehensive energy-efficient retrofit without tapping into its own capital.

The chain is the recipient of low-cost financing for the retrofit through the Florida Green Energy Works Program. BrandsMart received $2.225 million from a private investor for the project, which will include new HVAC systems, energy-efficient lighting and a new roof.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recognized Stater Bros. Markets with its GreenChill Partnership's "Best Emissions Rate" award.

The honor recognizes the supermarket chain for maintaining the lowest corporate-wide refrigerant emissions rate among large retail GreenChill partners — some 10,800 stores in all — in 2014. It is the third time Stater Bros. Markets has been recognized with this distinction.

Photo by Dominic Savini

For honeygrow founder Justin Rosenberg, the idea was simple: create a business based on his passion for fresh, healthy, wholesome and interesting food.

Subway has upped its commitment to sustainability. As a part of the restaurant chain's ongoing goal to make its restaurants and operations more socially responsible, the company has made LED lighting the standard for all new and remodeled restaurants. The upgrade will provide energy-efficient lighting that, in 2014 with a small percentage of stores participating, saved 21.9 million kilowatt hours – enough energy to power 1,996 households in a single year.

After a new donation pledge from Publix Super Markets, the international nonprofit Habitat for Humanity will be able to build 40 new houses in 2016 in the Southeast, where Publix serves all of its customers.

The $4 million donation, announced Monday, will go to more than 80 different Habitat for Humanity affiliates in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.