Best Buy’s Reverse Logistics Center in Chino, California, is a 160,000-square-foot facility that processes products that are returned or traded in by customers. That includes shipping products back to vendors, products directly to customers and products sold in bulk auction sales.
Over the last year, the Chino facility achieved certification by identifying waste streams and finding ways to make it easier for employees to recycle. During the process, Best Buy partnered with Rubicon — a software platform that provides smart waste and recycling solutions — to collect data. The data was then used to create a baseline for their waste-diversion efforts and to pinpoint opportunities to achieve their zero waste goals.
After setting the facility’s goals, a dedicated group of employees came together to form a “green team” and led the charge in launching several new waste reduction, reuse and diversion initiatives, including:
• Standardized color-coded containers and labels throughout the office, lunchroom and warehouse to help increase employee recycling
• Diversion/reuse opportunity of used phone and tablet cases
• Reuse of plastic bubble pillows/sheets for repacking to reduce shipping costs
At Best Buy, our purpose is to enrich lives through technology, and we aim to do that while positively impacting the world and contributing to the common good. This certification aligns with our company’s values and is part of our broader efforts to protect the planet and create a more sustainable future. To continue reducing our impact on the environment and being carbon neutral by 2040, we are working towards building a more sustainable supply chain, expanding our zero waste efforts to different facilities. Earning Best Buy’s first TRUE certification for zero waste at the Chino facility is just one more step we are taking to create a more sustainable world for the communities we serve.