Page 368 - Design for Environment A Guide to Sustainable Product Development

Service Industries 343

3. Recycled—containing at least 25% recycled materials, such
as recycled cotton, recycled glass (home products), or recycled
polyester made from plastic bottles. These materials help re -
duce the amount of waste sent to landfills.
In August 2008, JCPenney introduced a reusable shopping bag
bearing the Simply Green mark called the EcoBag and sold out of
the initial order of 350,000 in about 2 months (see Figure 19.3). At the
same time, the company introduced recycling bins for plastic bags,
no matter what their origin, in all its stores.
Other retail chains have developed similar “green designations”;
for example, Home Depot launched its Eco Options mark in 2007.
The program identifies over 3000 environmentally preferred prod-
ucts in five categories: Sustainable Forestry, Energy Efficiency, Water
Conservation, Clean Air, and Healthy Home. That same year, the
British-based retail and grocery chain Tesco launched a Greener
Living brand and a website that not only identifies green products
but also includes a host of sustainability initiatives, as well as in -
formation for consumers about sustainable lifestyles. It should be
noted that these in-house marks are different from the eco-labels
discussed in Chapter 3; the latter generally require independent
third-party certification.

Food and Beverage Services
McDonald’s, the global fast food restaurant chain, was one of the
first food service companies to explore environmental sustainability,
starting with their engagement with the Environmental Defense
Fund (EDF) in 1990. The company has adopted a life-cycle approach
to waste minimization, stressing avoidance, recycling, and proper
disposal in that order. The company’s waste avoidance efforts focus

FIGURE 19.3 JCPenney has introduced
a variety of merchandise bearing the
simply green mark, as well as a
reusable “eco-bag.”