Estée Lauder introduces new store design program to strengthen commitment to sustainability

The Estée Lauder Companies has launched a new Responsible Store Design program to help advance progress towards its environmental targets.

The program provides a framework for the assessment of new and existing retail stores, and for the design of visual merchandising, across a variety of sustainability-related areas including waste reduction, water and energy conservation, and responsible material sourcing.

To participate in the program, brands must meet all relevant program prerequisites, which vary based on the retail space and store type.

For new stores, a scoring system is used based on points, where each individual location is evaluated based on various sustainability efforts across retail design and operations.

For existing stores and visual merchandising, a checklist of pre-requisites is used to ensure each location meets Estée Lauder's sustainability requirements.

Prior to the launch of this program, Estée Lauder had been working with its brands and global retail design teams to incorporate sustainability into their store design and visual merchandising.

In FY20, the company finalised its internal Green Building Standards for all of its spaces including retail locations. These standards serve as a roadmap to help new construction and major renovations incorporate sustainability principles into its design.

Al Iannuzzi, Vice President of Sustainability at Estee Lauder Companies, said: “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 Estée Lauder's sustainability commitments to both our employees and our consumers.

“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.”