Kohl's presented with EPA SmartWay Excellence award

Menomonee Falls, Wis. Kohl’s Department Stores announced Tuesday it has been awarded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s 2009 SmartWay Excellence Award.

This is the second consecutive year Kohl’s has been recognized for its significant efforts to protect the environment by reducing fuel use and greenhouse gas emissions in its transportation programs. This latest award comes on the heels of Kohl’s recent recognition as the No. 1 green retailer in the Newsweek Green Rankings and as an EPA Green Power Partner of the Year.

EPA’s SmartWay brand signifies environmentally clean, fuel-efficient transportation options. Kohl’s joined the EPA SmartWay program in 2007 and has been recognized with the SmartWay Excellence Award since 2008 for its support in moving toward cleaner air and helping to conserve energy.

Last year, Kohl’s reduced transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions by 51,271 tons, the equivalent of taking 8,457 cars off the road for a year.

“At Kohl’s, reducing greenhouse gas emissions when transporting merchandise is just one way we work to reduce our environmental footprint over the long term,” said Ken Bonning, Kohl’s executive VP store planning and logistics. “We’re honored that EPA is recognizing our efforts to protect and conserve the environment as we continue to look at how to reduce energy use in our daily operations.”

Kohl’s is the world’s largest retail host of solar power and currently operates 79 solar locations in six states. To date, more than 300 Kohl’s stores have earned EPA’s Energy Star label for superior energy efficiency and performance.