Retailers Calendar

Home Depot expands their customer relationships through extended value and services.
As the third largest retailer, The Home Depot, a DIY, understands that value and reputation are created through increased
customer service and satisfaction. They extend their services to include environmentally friendly use of their products, by not
only showing consumers energy efficient products on their website, and pointing them out in the store, but also explaining
energy efficiency issues and helping them to save money in their home by being more energy savvy. Home Depot teams up
with the US Environmental Protection Agency for this information. They also give consumer tips on design and installation,
and other home improvement know-how, which can cut unnecessary wastes and expand their outreach to consumers and
the community. They also rent tools to customers.
Box 10.3: Home Depot expands their customer relationships through extended value and services
BP, in conjunction with UK non-profit Targetneutral, allows customers to calculate their car’s emissions via the
web, find out how to reduce their emissions and learn more about projects to minimize CO 2. The program is part
of a push to make BP’s UK fuel tankers carbon neutral. As part of the program, they will make a contribution to
the fund for customers using their Nectar cards. The Nectar card is a loyalty card used by a consortium of UK
retailers, including Sainsbury’s, Debenhams, Barclaycard, and BP. Roughly half of the UK population has a
Nectar card. Under the current scheme, consumers can pay only £6 to reduce one tonne of CO 2 EUR20 per year.
Ensuring Proper Consumer Disposal
In the final phase of the product life-cycle, retailers can encourage proper disposal, recycling or even decrease
the need for material use (for example see Box 10.4 below).
Australian retailer Paddy Pallin lengthens the life of their clothing through take-back systems. This
outdoor gear retailer offers $50 AUD to customers towards the purchase of shoes when they return
their old shoes. These shoes are then donated to Porters Progress an organisation that lends and
leases essential outdoor gear to porters in Nepal. Trekking companies make a fully refundable
deposit on the gear to provide safety and comfort for the porters and then receive all of the money
back when they return from their trip to the Himalayas. Porters Progress can now provide clothing
for up to 500 porters at once and Paddy Pallin shops improve their customer relationships through essentially
offering discounts on shoes and brand reputation through showing that they care for the environment and society
(www.portersprogress.org and treehugger.com).
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