Kohl’s recognized by government for energy efficiency
Kohl’s Corp. has received a prestigious environmental award for the 11th straight year.
The department store chain is the recipient of the 2022 Energy Star Partner of the Year – Sustained Excellence Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy.
It is the 11th consecutive year that the EPA has recognized Kohl’s with the award, which is the highest honor bestowed by the program, which honors organizations that have made outstanding contributions to protecting the environment through superior energy achievements each year with Energy Star Awards.
As of 2021, 91% of Kohl’s stores are Energy Star certified, including nine stores newly certified in the calendar year. Kohl's climate action goals are focused on the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and increase of renewable energy use, which the retailer intends to help push its Net Zero 2050 commitment to become carbon-neutral by 2050 forward.
Kohl’s takes steps toward sustainability
In December 2021, Kohl’s launched a program to equip 15 of its rooftops across Arizona and Illinois with solar arrays within the next year, bringing the location total to 178. The 15 new projects will increase Kohl's installed solar capacity by 10.4%, to a total of 56.97 megawatts (MW).
According to Kohl’s, the solar energy generated from these new systems is the equivalent to the amount of electricity used to power 924 homes annually. On average, systems will provide 75% of each store’s electricity needs. Relative to each state, 11% of Kohl’s Illinois operational electricity usage and 9% Arizona operational electricity usage will come directly from solar once the new installations are complete.
Kohl’s is also contracting to support the development of 23.4 MW of community solar projects across New York in 2022. Kohl’s will subscribe to a share of four community solar projects that will generate clean, renewable energy and are designed to provide economic and environmental benefits to local area residents. The projects will also provide energy credits to 18 Kohl’s store locations throughout New York.
In November 2021, Kohl’s became one of the first companies to join the U.S. Department of Energy’s Better Climate Challenge to further reduce its GHG emissions. In addition, Kohl’s has been recognized with a SmartWay 2020 Excellence Award from the EPA as an industry leader in freight supply chain, environmental performance and energy efficiency.
Kohl’s was also named to the 2020 Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) North America by S&P Global, marking the third year in a row the company received this recognition based on financially material ESG factors. The DJSI helps to evaluate a company’s impact on people, communities and the planet for socially conscious investors.
“At Kohl’s, we are committed to doing our part for people and for the planet,” said Steve Thomas, chief risk and compliance officer at Kohl’s. “We strive to continually implement the best practices in energy efficiency across our stores and facilities to reduce our carbon footprint and fight climate change. We’re proud to receive this recognition as we continue to demonstrate the work that our teams do to ensure we leave a smaller footprint on our planet today, for a better, more sustainable future for our communities.”