Commercial, Energy Efficiency, GHG Emissions  -  July 10, 2023

ELC Begins Responsible Store Design Program

ELC launched the Responsible Store Design program to advance progress toward its environmental targets.

The cosmetics company,  formerly known as Estée Lauder,  will conduct waste reduction, water and energy conservation, and responsible material sourcing at its retail stores.

The Responsible Store Design program was developed with the assistance of a sustainability consulting firm with expertise in green building design and reviewed by a third party to assure its credibility and accuracy. 

For both new stores and existing stores, the requirements include store build-out, energy and water, responsible sourcing of materials, visual merchandising, store operations, and innovation. 

Six stores have already been launched as part of the fiscal year 2023 pilot program. Among these is the Origins store in Nanjing Deji Plaza, which opened in July 2022, which met all prerequisites and achieved 26 points.

Many of the prerequisites for the program directly correlate to emissions reductions, including reducing energy usage through LED lighting and Energy Star-rated equipment and sourcing low-emissions materials for store design and visual merchandising. Other practices include waste management and efficient plumbing fixtures.

“Sustainability has long been part of our corporate strategy and company culture, and our new Responsible Store Design program is a creative and impactful way to showcase ELC’s sustainability commitments to both our employees and our consumers,” said Al Iannuzzi, Vice President, Sustainability in a statement. “We're excited to launch our branded retail sustainability program and look forward to scaling this work beyond our pilot stores to impact retail operations globally in the future.”