Renewing Resources. Reducing Waste.
We're committed to working with our suppliers and vendors to find creative ways to further reduce the amount of paper, packaging materials and other natural resources used in our business operations. Since 2005, Limited Brands has been a partner in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency WasteWise program, which works with companies to increase waste management efforts to ultimately reduce greenhouse gas emissions and their impact on climate change. Our recycling efforts have been centered on:
- Efficient packaging
- Elimination of PVC containers
- Store recycling efforts
- Pallet recycling
- Product re-use (donations/sample sales)
- Other recycling
Below is a list of some of the items Limited Brands recycled in 2010:
- 5 tons of plastic and aluminum beverage containers
- 20 tons of aerosol products
- 8,123 tons of corrugate
- 825 tons of paper, magazines and catalogs
- 101 tons of ethyl alcohol from personal care products
- 2681 tons of metal
- 355 tons of plastic
- 285 tons of stretch wrap
- 1,083 tons of wood from pallets
- 7.5 tons of toner cartridges
- 9.5 tons of computers and other electronics
- 78 tons of batteries
- 175 tons of glass
Additionally, through reuse, Limited Brands also avoided the disposal of the following materials in 2010:
- 54 tons of fragrance oil from personal care products
- 2 tons of computers and other electronics
- 7.3 tons of plastic buckets in our store returns program
- 17 tons of packaging components
- 3,805 tons of excess and discontinued products and merchandise, visual marketing items, and furniture and fixtures
- 2,207 tons of wood from pallets
In total, during 2010, Limited Brands prevented more than 19,000 tons of material from going to landfill through reuse and recycling!
Efficient Packaging (more ...)
Our merchandise is stored and shipped in specially designed cartons that Limited Brands helped to develop along with our suppliers and a packaging material expert. These unique cartons are manufactured using fewer raw materials than our previous cartons and are designed to hold more merchandise, stack more efficiently and require less space on transportation vehicles. The containers are manufactured with approximately 42 percent post-consumer waste recycled content.
Elimination of PVC Containers (more ...)
In 2003, Limited Brands stopped using polyvinyl chloride (PVC) containers for our Bath & Body Works and Victoria's Secret personal care products, which reduced our PVC usage by 4.3 million pounds per year. Those personal care products are now stored in polyethylene terephthalate (PET) containers, which is the most widely used plastic in consumer packaging. It's readily recycled in most communities and its manufacture is considered to be more environmentally friendly than PVC to manufacture.
Store Recycling Containers (more ...)
Recyclable personal care products returned from our stores to our distribution center are packaged and shipped in five-gallon plastic pails. When they arrive at our distribution centers, we empty the containers, clean them and return them to the stores for reuse. In 2010, more than 20 tons of aerosol products and 151 tons of ethyl alcohol containing products were reclaimed through this process.
Pallets (more ...)
Merchandise that is received from vendors is often shipped on wood pallets. We reuse the pallets to handle merchandise in our distribution centers. Pallets that are damaged are sent to a third party for repair and are redistributed for further use. Pallets unable to be reused are ground into fine wood shavings and are ultimately used for purposes such as mulch for landscaping. During 2010, we sent more than 3,290 tons of wood pallets for recycling and/or reuse.
Product Re-Use
Donations (more ...)
In an effort to find beneficial ways in which surplus products and supplies can be reused, Limited Brands has partnered with various charitable organizations, such as the Central Ohio Sustainability Alliance - Waste Not Center. The Waste Not Center accepts donations of items that are in good condition and makes them available to teachers, artists and others for use in various types of projects. In 2010, Limited Brands donated to various charities more than 12 tons of fixtures, furniture and other visual marketing items that would otherwise have been thrown away.
Associate Sale (more ...)
The Associate Sale is an event in which merchandise and products that can no longer be sold in our retail stores are made available for our associates to purchase at a reduced cost. After the sale concludes, we then allow numerous not-for-profit groups to "shop" the event. In 2010, more than 90 local and regional not-for-profit groups participated in the shopping event. In all, the 2010 Associate Sale resulted in the reuse of more than 3,793 tons of products/merchandise. Additionally, all money raised through the sale is donated to the United Way of Central Ohio.
Other Recycling (more ...)
As an alternative to disposal, Limited Brands goes to great lengths to recycle miscellaneous materials. In 2010, approximately 89 percent of all material processed through our distribution centers for disposal was instead recycled or reused.