Best Buy’s quest to achieve “zero-waste” status throughout its distribution facilities has evolved over the years, to the point of encompassing multiple activities, teams of dedicated employees, and formal certification of its efforts. Tim Dunn has served as Best Buy’s head of environmental sustainability for more than 15 years. And the consumer electronics and home appliance retailer has had a waste-diversion program in place for over a decade. “Recycling equipment in our stores and supply chain facilities just makes sense for the business and the environment,” he says.
But washing waste of out of the system is an effort that has grown in ambition and scope. A formal program was started internally in 2020, focusing first on Best Buy’s reverse-logistics center in Los Angeles. Within a year, the retailer had set a target of certifying all of its distribution facilities as zero-waste sites by 2025.
Confirmation of the company’s efforts comes from the Total Resource Use and Efficiency (TRUE) program for zero-waste certification. It was established by Green Business Certification Inc., the same organization that developed the LEED rating system for identifying “green” buildings. TRUE certification means that each location diverts more than 90% of its waste from landfills. To date, more than 20 Best Buy supply chain facilities, representing 69% of the total, have earned that designation, according to Dunn.