Lowe's reduces carbon emissions through infrastructure investments and recycles four million pounds of materials.
Corporate responsibility is a cornerstone Lowe’s and fundamental to its success. From environmental stewardship programs to community revitalization efforts, Lowe’s mission is to deliver great service and value to the communities they serve. Because of this, the company is making significant investments in energy efficiency and renewables.
In 2014, Lowe’s set a goal to reduce its carbon emissions by 20 percent by 2020. The company continues to make significant progress, and is on track to achieve this milestone goal. To date, Lowe’s has reduced emissions by 18 percent because of infrastructure investments in its stores, including the following:
- Variable Fan Drives installed in 368 stores
- Building Management Systems in 198 Stores
- LED Lighting Retrofits in 132 Stores
- High efficiency HVAC rooftop units in 100 stores
Lowe’s is always looking for innovative ways to implement energy-efficiency projects, and last year the company began the rollout of high-efficiency HVAC units to 100 stores. Lowe’s achieved significant energy savings through these investments, while recycling over 4 million pounds of materials which would have otherwise ended up in a landfill. Included in those materials were over 3 million pounds of metals, 560,000 pounds of compressors, and 63,000 pounds of refrigerant.
As a part of Lowe’s long-term commitment and view on the importance of sustainability, the company plans to assess how it can approach meeting the carbon reduction objectives outlined in the Paris Climate Agreement. Because Lowe’s understands the need to prepare for a low carbon economy in the future, Lowe’s is committed to continuing to engage stakeholders on this important topic and make regular disclosures over the next few years.
Lowe’s is focused on reducing carbon emissions from its stores and operations. To further Lowe’s goal around carbon emissions, the company plans to assess the feasibility of clean energy deployment and update its future goals for reducing its carbon footprint. This will help evaluate the company’s public goals and develop a roadmap for additional actions Lowe’s can take to reduce its environmental footprint and help our shared Earth.
For additional information on Lowe’s sustainability efforts, please refer to the 2016 CSR report. The 2017 CSR report will be published in mid-May.
