Greentailing

Greentailing
The votes are in!
March 08, 2010

If you stop and think about it, retail is nothing but a series of judgments. Case in point is GlobalShop 2010—a gathering of professionals with the goal of finding the right partners in order to do a better job at retailing. Typical judgment criteria involves speed, scalability, durability, liability, quality and, of course, price. But what about sustainability? Have you been judged against it, or better yet, become a judge yourself?

Sustainability has made its debut. It’s been flashy, it’s been fun to talk about, it fills a room, and it is becoming a criterion for the way many companies are doing business. Why? Because in retail, we are at the whim of the consumer, investors and shareholders. These are people—people with values and expectations that have changed. Any company that is part of the retail supply chain will not be immune to the impacts these new value sets will have on the way we do business.

With such a competitive market, the stakes are high for choosing the right partners. When it comes to sustainability, my job is to tell you what needs to be on your radar and how you can implement change that will garner more business in the green retail world. Fortunately, our friends at the Association for Retail Environments (A.R.E.) have done a tremendous job of organizing a robust Sustainability Awards program this year, which delineates the relevant performance categories that pertain to sustainability in retail design.

As you walk the GlobalShop floor this year, keep the A.R.E. Sustainability Awards criteria (listed below) in mind. Ask your colleagues and partners about some of these design attributes and begin gauging whether you are aligned with the right teams or products. If not, it might be time to formalize your sustainability criteria, just as many leading retailers are doing. The value of having a green framework for decision-making goes beyond sustainability, it also makes it easier to sort through the clutter.

Have a great show, and make sure to check out the winners and their stories!

Cheers,
Justin Doak
Founder, Ecoxera – Green Business Strategy for Retail
Send green retail questions to justindoak@ecoxera.com.

A.R.E. Sustainability Awards (Presented at the A.R.E. Design Awards
Wednesday, March 10 | 5 p.m.-7 p.m., The Venetian, Las Vegas)

Judging Criteria

Innovation in Design
Entries that overcome particularly difficult sustainable challenges, as well as those that apply design or engineering solutions in new or unusual ways. ��Examples of innovation include:
--Solutions that are unique to the project, such as the recapturing of waste energy for reuse in the same facility, or the sale/donation of waste materials to a local entity.
--The application of patented or new technology.
--The use of sustainable materials in new or interesting ways.
--Creative design that minimizes materials or finishes.
--Design based on biomimicry.
--Creative reuse of existing elements.
--Creative repurposing of materials.
--Design for disassembly.
--A plan for reuse of project elements at the end of their service life.
--Creative application of lighting technologies to reduce energy use, increase daylighting or improved product merchandising while maintaining energy-use goals.

Integration
Efforts and effectiveness of interdisciplinary cooperation, stakeholder involvement and community outreach. Entries that have brought together many disparate parties in order to find the most effective, efficient solutions also should score well in this area. Consider the scope of the project in determining this. For a fixture, integration may involve merely a fixture manufacturer working with a design firm and the R&D department of a materials company.

Benchmarks
Performance against accepted green building benchmarks or achieved measurable goals. Obvious benchmarks for projects are project certification through LEED, Green Globes, Energy Star, BREEAM, CASBEE, Green Star or another green building rating system. Many entries may not have yet received a certification at the time of judging, and therefore other emerging benchmarks such as Carbon & GHG emissions should be considered. Other benchmarks—both for project elements and for fixture and visual presentation entries—may include:
--Product certifications such as Green Seal and GREENGUARD.
--Compliance with standards such as RoHS, UL and CARB ATCM.
--Performance goals defined by the project team, such as percentage reductions in energy use, VOCs, water use, waste, or GHG; percentage of recycled, renewable or reclaimed content; percentage of reused elements and materials; ROI payback periods; etc.

NOMINATING SPECIAL RECOGNITION
Recognizes specific project elements. This is particularly useful for projects that might not score well overall, but have an outstanding solution that deserves to be singled out. Considerations include:
--Outstanding use of nature
--Lighting innovation
--Water-efficiency innovation
--Creative use of reclaimed materials
--Consumer education and outreach
--Creative use of reusable materials