Macy’s outlines slew of ‘sustainable’ initiatives in new report

US department store chain Macy’s has revealed an update on its achievements towards its sustainability goals, outlined under the social purpose platform, ‘Mission Every One’.

As part of the announcement, the group has detailed circular solutions and services it has implemented over the past few years as it begins to move towards becoming a more circular business, it said in a press release.

This includes an initiative aimed at reducing waste, for which it has applied technology that enables it to scale back physical samples from suppliers. The company said that by the end of the 2022 development season, 61 percent of its samples were made virtually, an increase from the five percent in 2019.

Other strategies have set out with the purpose of reducing packaging, such as standardising the size of packing cartons, incorporating auto-boxer technology and utilising FSC certified cardboard at its fulfilment centres.

In a bid to extend the life of products, Macy’s said its partnership with Give Back Box has enabled customers to send back used clothing for resale and recycling. The retailer, together with its sister company Bloomingdale’s, has also implemented care instructions and programmes to its offer to help inform customers.

Additionally, as part of Macy’s 2025 goal to “recycle as much material as possible”, the group’s beauty products team has launched a pilot programme that ships outdated collateral to a third-party to be recycled.

It is further planning to increase its store recycling rates to 80 percent by 2025 through the use of RFID technology.