Kohl’s has a long-standing focus on Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) stewardship. Responsible corporate citizenship has always been an important part of our company’s values and guides how we interact with our customers, associates and communities.
Kohl’s is proud to be recognized with the 2021 WasteWise Regional and 2020 WasteWise National Awards for excellence in waste management from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). As one of EPA’s longest-running voluntary programs, WasteWise partners have prevented and diverted close to 249 million tons of waste from landfills and incinerators, preventing more than 488 million tons of associated greenhouse gas emissions, and saving over $13.7 billion in avoided landfill costs.
“We are excited to be recognized by EPA’s WasteWise program as Partner of the Year in the Very Large Business category,” said Steve Thomas, Kohl’s Chief Risk & Compliance Officer. “Waste reduction is a key sustainability strategy for the company as we engage our customers, associates and partners through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse programs. All of these efforts demonstrate our commitment to sustainable solutions for a healthy future.”
At Kohl's, we believe that incorporating sustainable solutions in the way we do business will help to build better futures for families. Kohl’s has been a voluntary partner and active participant of the EPA WasteWise program since 2006 and has earned multiple WasteWise awards.
In 2019, we debuted three key 2025 public goals: Climate Change, Waste and Recycling, and Sustainable Sourcing. Kohl’s Waste and Recycling goals are focused on the management of all wastes, reducing waste generation and promoting relevant recycling information to customers. Committed to these goals, Kohl’s has diverted 85% of waste from landfills –– meeting our 2025 goal, labeled 100% of Kohl’s-owned in-store shopping bags and private/exclusive shoe boxes with the How2Recycle® label and reduced the amount of packaging we use for Kohl's-owned branded packaging. In 2020, we achieved an Industry Leading Diversion Rate through initiatives including plastic and cardboard recycling, paperless billing, and beauty product and fabric scrap repurposing. Kohl’s recycled more than 110,000 tons (220 million pounds) of material, including more than 4 million pounds of plastic and 199 million pounds of cardboard.
By incorporating sustainable solutions in the way we do business, Kohl’s has made it easier for our associates, customers and communities to make positive impacts on the environment. For more information about WasteWise, click here.
Additional information about Kohl’s Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) efforts and commitment to sustainability can be found on our corporate website, Corporate.Kohls.com. For more details about other ways we’re helping to protect the environment for the benefit of our associates, customers and other stakeholders, please refer to our 2020 Environmental, Social and Governance Report.