Date Announced: 30 May 2011 -- Further supports sustainability efforts with national LED lighting retrofit of stores TORONTO --Sears Canada is helping Canadians save money and reduce their environmental footprint by becoming the first national Canadian retailer to ban the sale of inefficient incandescent and halogen lighting in its stores nationally. By September 2011, Sears Canada will grow its offering of energy efficient LED and CFL (compact fluorescent) lighting, instead of less efficient options, in its Full-Line and Sears Home stores across the country. The move will help Canadians take advantage of the energy-saving and other benefits of LED lighting, which uses up to 75% less energy and lasts up to 10 times longer than traditional incandescent lighting. "Sears Canada constantly strives to be a leader in sustainability by minimizing its environmental impact across all areas of its business, while helping Canadians choose products that save them money, reduce their eco footprint and create healthier homes," says James Gray-Donald, sustainability leader and associate vice-president, Sears Canada. "Replacing inefficient lighting products with LED and CFL options is a major move to save customers energy and money, while empowering them to take sustainable steps at home." Largest-ever incandescent spotlight replacement Along with its ban of inefficient lighting, Sears Canada is further reducing the environmental impact of its own operations by becoming the first national Canadian retailer to replace all spotlights in its Full-Line and Sears Home stores with energy efficient LED lighting. The initiative is the largest-ever incandescent spotlight replacement in Canada and one of the largest replacements ever globally. By the end of August 2011, Sears Canada will replace more than 130,000 incandescent spotlights with LEDs. The LED lighting retrofit is expected to save Sears Canada more than 16 million (16,416,000) kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity per year and reduce its carbon footprint by 3,611 Tonnes per year. The anticipated annual electricity savings would be enough to enable more than 197,000 families to use the most efficient ENERGY STAR qualified washers for a year. Delivering savings, performance, functionality By offering a range of LED lighting options to Canadians, Sears Canada will help customers take advantage of their benefits throughout the home: -- An investment in LED lighting can pay for itself within three years and keep delivering savings due to its long life.-- LED lighting can easily replace existing inefficient bulbs with a variety of styles and shapes.-- Unlike other energy efficient lighting options, such as many types of compact fluorescent lights, LEDs can be dimmed.-- LED lighting turns on/off quickly, achieving full brightness in under a microsecond.-- LED lighting is ideal for external lighting applications, because it won't attract insects and can achieve maximum brightness even in cold temperatures.Leadership in sustainabilitySears Canada is continuing its sustainability efforts that encompass all areas of its business. In 2008, Sears Canada made a commitment to recycle 90% of its waste and reduce its energy use by 20% within five years. Sears Canada is on track to meeting its recycling targets and by the end of 2010 had already reduced its electricity use by 15%. The company has also launched numerous initiatives to help Canadians choose more environmentally sustainable options, including this spring's Million Dollar Energy Challenge to help Canadians save money with ENERGY STAR appliances. In 2010, it introduced its Cost & Carbon Savings Calculator to demonstrate the financial and environmental benefits of switching to ENERGY STAR qualified products. Sears Canada has also been named the ENERGY STAR Retailer of the Year by Natural Resources Canada four times, including the last three years in a row. About Sears Canada Sears Canada is a multi-channel retailer with a network that includes 196 corporate stores, 272 hometown dealer stores, 33 home improvement showrooms, 1,800 catalogue merchandise pick-up locations, 108 Sears Travel offices and a nationwide home maintenance, repair, and installation network. The Company also publishes Canada's most extensive general merchandise catalogue and offers shopping online at www.sears.ca.
Contact
Maggie Waymark Harbinger 416-960-5100 x 263
E-mail:[email protected]
Web Site:www.sears.ca
