BJ’s Commitment to the Environment

BJ’s Wholesale Club maintains a strong commitment to preserving our environment for future generations through our investment in innovative and environmentally sound energy-efficiency programs. To date, these investments have reduced BJ’s energy consumption by 100 million kWh. That’s the equivalent of taking 7,860 cars off the road, removing 45,000 tons of carbon dioxide from the environment and conserving enough electricity to power 11,000 residential homes for one year.

Clean Energy
To promote clean energy, BJ’s is participating in innovative solar power partnerships at 12 Clubs in 6 states. We’ve donated roof space for the installation of solar panels that generate power totaling 480kW. BJ’s purchases/provides a percentage of the power to each of the Clubs where the solar panels are installed; this initiative also supports the value of the green solar generation attributes that are sold and used to fund important environmental projects. BJ’s continues to pursue additional sites in order to expand on this initiative.
Energy Efficiency
BJ’s is committed to achieving energy efficiency in our Clubs and corporate offices by developing and implementing ways to use less energy, as well as by investing in new, more energy-efficient lighting, HVAC and refrigeration equipment.

Innovative initiatives currently being implemented on an expanding basis at the Club level include the use of skylights in conjunction with lighting systems that can be dimmed during the brightest hours of the day, thus reducing the amount of energy needed to provide a bright and inviting Club experience to our Members. BJ’s is also switching to energy-efficient LED lighting for certain refrigerated and non-refrigerated display cases.

And, BJ’s is reducing water consumption by using electronic sensors, aeration devices and low-flow fixtures in Club plumbing systems.

BJ’s has also improved equipment control systems and has introduced extensive power-use metering and sub-metering systems that identify system efficiencies and provide valuable benchmarks, allowing us to assess our progress toward our energy-efficiency goals in real time.


In addition, BJ’s has been an ENERGY STAR® Partner since 1998 and has received numerous awards for energy efficiency, such as the Excellence in Energy Management and Retail Partner of the Year (Honorable Mention) awards, as well as the EPA New England Environmental Merit Award, and the Edison Electric Institute’s Energy Management Award for Partnership.

Power Reliability through Demand Management
To help maintain a reliable electrical supply, BJ’s has participated in peak load management programs. For example, during peak days during the summer months, BJ’s responds to system-wide load reduction requests by turning off 50% of the lights at Clubs in various states, resulting in a total load

reduction of over 2 megawatts per year. Participation in programs like these helps reduce electricity price spikes and the likelihood of community voltage reductions or blackouts.

Energy Education/Awareness
Energy education and awareness for both Club and corporate Team Members is facilitated through a chain-wide information exchange program. BJ’s runs a conservation program in which each Club helps eliminate Club operations that consume energy unnecessarily. The program educates in-Club Team Members on energy-efficiency strategies and provides incentives to change energy-wasting behaviors.


Recycling In 2007, BJ’s recycled 35,331 tons of cardboard. This chain-wide recycling initiative helped reduce trash-disposal expenses, prevented 24,732 metric tons of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from being added to the atmosphere* and freed up 123,600 cu. yd. in municipal landfills. Best of all, providing material for paper production helped to conserve the equivalent of these important natural resources:

  • 600,600 mature trees
  • 144.86 million kWh of electricity
  • 319,600 barrels of oil
  • 247.32 million gallons of drinking water

Looking to the Future
BJ’s will continue to identify and test strategies and technologies that can boost our overall energy and waste disposal efficiency. Investing in these improvements will reduce overall expenses — savings that can be passed on to Members — and help support international efforts to conserve energy, reduce carbon footprints and combat global warming.

*Environmental benefits listed represent the difference in natural resource consumption and GHG emissions resulting from using recycled versus virgin inputs. Sources available upon request.

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