(Photo: REI’s distribution center in Goodyear, Arizona. Credit: REI)[/caption] REI Co-op announced that the retailer is achieving carbon-neutral operations for 2020. The goal was initially set in 2006 under then-CEO Sally Jewell, who put the business on course to measure, report, and lower its greenhouse gas emissions.
Reaching carbon neutrality for operations involved numerous initiatives, according to REI. “The co-op was one of the first retailers to measure and report its greenhouse gas emissions, and over the years has prioritized projects like green building certifications, generated its own energy through solar arrays, launched industry-wide sustainability standards for all products sold, and invested more than $100 million into stewarding outdoor spaces that support recreation but also can provide critical carbon sequestration,” the retailer said.
When REI committed to becoming a climate-neutral company by 2020, they initially calculated their GHG footprint using the Greenhouse Gas Protocol methodology. “While this approach and target captured a thorough picture of our operational impact, it painted an incomplete picture of our broader impact as a business and our largest impact — the creation and use of the products we sell (Scope 3 emissions).”
For 2018 and 2019, the retailer reported their full greenhouse gas footprint as a business: Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions totaled 938,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2018. That rose to 1,036,000 million in 2019, with 97% from Scope 3. To calculate their greenhouse gas footprint for both years, REI said that they followed the WRI/WBCSD Greenhouse Gas Protocols for Scopes 1 and 2 (Corporate Standard), and 3 (Corporate Value Chain Standard) emissions.
Indirect value chain emissions can be particularly challenging to tackle. REI found that 42% of their Scope 3 emissions came from selling other brands’ products. The retailer developed comprehensive sustainability standards for these products, unveiling them in 2018. Then, in April 2019, the co-op announced plans to expand their gear rental program as well as invest in used gear and gear trade-in options.
Despite the co-op’s environmental initiatives over the past 14 years, there’s still plenty of work ahead. On Thursday REI set a new goal to halve its carbon footprint by 2030. They also joined the independent nonprofit Climate Neutral, which works with brands on measuring, reducing, and offsetting emissions.
Heading into the next decade, REI’s leadership intends to invest in solutions that help shrink the co-op’s footprint as much as possible. They will focus on projects that can pull carbon out of the atmosphere, such as reforestation and active forest management. This week the retailer committed to planting 1 million trees within the next 10 years through a global initiative. In addition, the co-op said they anticipate advocating for policies in the US that lower emissions.
“We’re setting out to reduce both our own greenhouse gas emissions and the emissions embedded in the products of the more than 1,000 brands we sell, and transparently sharing progress as we go,” REI Co-op president and CEO Eric Artz wrote in a public letter. “No retailer has yet accomplished this, but we know what needs to get done, and most importantly, we believe we can do it.”
