NEW YORK–Wal-Mart and J.C. Penney are pumping up their eco-friendly efforts.
Wal-Mart launched the HE.5 prototype in Las Vegas, what it calls its most energy-efficient store.
The prototype uses up to 45 percent less energy than Wal-Mart’s average supercenter.
The store, which is Western-climate specific, features advancements in heating, cooling, refrigeration and lighting to conserve energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
It marks the evolution of the energy-efficient stores the retailer has opened.
Meanwhile, J.C. Penney, in partnership with environmental lifestyle expert Danny Seo, has launched Simply Green, an exclusive designation that helps shoppers make environmentally conscious purchases. Beginning this month, a wide range of J.C. Penney private brand merchandise, including home accessories, will bear the Simply Green mark, highlighting goods that lessen the impact on the environment.
Merchandise that meets the green standard must fall into one of three categories: organic, which signals that it’s made from at least 70 percent raw materials such as organic cotton or linen that have been grown without chemical fertilizers or pesticides that can hurt the environment; renewable, which means goods are at least 25 percent from renewable materials such as bamboo, soy or wood that comes from certified forests; and recycled, which refers to product that contain at least 25 percent recycled materials, such as recycled cotton and recycled glass for home products, which reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills.
