Sustainability: Maximum Transparency

DO CUSTOMERS VALUE a brand’s stand on sustainability? Do retailers see sustainability as a moral imperative, or a sound business decision to reduce, reuse and recycle?

From that first Earth Day in 1970 to today, recent findings from GfK Consumer Life, a NielsenIQ (Chicago) company, show that more than half of the U.S. population now says concern for the environment is very serious (an 18-point increase in the last decade). Further, its study found that 78 percent of U.S. consumers say that a “sustainable lifestyle” is important to them. Arguably, “Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things,” the 2002 book by architect William McDonough and chemist Michael Braungart, became the business blueprint for all things “green.”

That 193-page book influenced Aveda (Blaine, Minn.), a business founded on environmental leadership and responsibility, to build stores with materials and techniques aimed at reducing its carbon footprint. Retail pacesetters touting their sustainability efforts understandably include outdoor brands like Patagonia (Ventura, Calif.) and REI (Sumner, Wash.), to build stores to LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards.

In 2013, PUMA (Herzogenaurach, Germany), began using recycled and biodegradable materials for its footwear and apparel. In 2012, its 8600-square-foot Bangalore store opened featuring a rooftop garden, a highly insulated building shell, and a layout that positioned 90 percent of interior spaces with direct access to natural light – all lowered energy costs. Low VOC paints reduced airborne toxins, and recycled wood and recycled steel from discarded DVD players, bicycles and tiffin boxes were used to make fixtures and furniture.

In December, Puma unveiled its largest European flagship – a 24,000-square-foot store notable for its multi-story entry made from a series of 32-foot-tall glass panels. The location on London’s Oxford Street “is a powerful platform to engage directly with consumers, showcase our latest performance innovations,” says Arthur Hoeld, CEO of Puma, “and strengthen our brand presence in one of the world’s most influential retail destinations.” The kinetic, colorful store spills out onto the street and its transparency invites inspection – multiple customization areas, a digital video wall highlighting its Nitro foam technology and an archive area featuring pieces from its 75-year history.

Puma is one of many retailers across the U.S. and abroad making strides through sustainable design choices and strategies. Its 24,000-square-foot store on London’s Oxford Street opened this past December.

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Among other noteworthy green stores is Apple’s (Cupertino, Calif.) Miami Worldcenter opened in January 2025 as its first mass-timber project. Mass timber (Cross-Laminated Timber and Mass Plywood Panels), is on track to transform construction by offering a sustainable, rapid and aesthetic alternative to steel and concrete. These renewable materials and prefabricated construction techniques speed construction timelines, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and landfill contributions thereby providing eco-friendly retail interiors.

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PHOTOS: PUMA