Energy & Climate

Reporting

Bath & Body Works and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) established a baseline greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory in 2009. Shortly thereafter, we set a GHG reduction goal which we achieved and for which we were recognized by the U.S. EPA. We are committed to continuing to reduce our total GHG emissions through projects that improve efficiency and conserve energy and fossil fuels.

CDP Climate

Since 2007, Bath & Body Works has participated in CDP’s  annual corporate climate change questionnaire which documents carbon emissions as well as climate strategy. In August 2021, Bath & Body Works became a stand-alone company, and the 2022 response includes full year data for Bath & Body Works and partial year data for Victoria’s Secret. View Bath & Body Works’ most recent response to the CDP.

Energy Efficiency

A large part of our environmental strategy has been to reduce energy consumption and related greenhouse gas emissions. In an effort to reduce our energy consumption, Bath & Body Works has rolled out numerous energy-efficiency projects which have had significant energy savings and pollution reduction associated with them. Such projects include recent lighting projects which have reduced our store electricity consumption in the U.S. and Canada.

Bath & Body Works efforts in our stores include

  • Replacing higher wattage lamps with lower wattage, more efficient LED lamps
  • Continuing to proactively replace HVAC units with more efficient systems in stores
  • Construct new stores with more efficient lighting technology

Bath & Body Works efforts in home offices and distribution centers include:

  • Multiple lighting upgrade projects in our Columbus, Ohio, home offices and distribution centers, significantly reducing annual electricity consumption.
  • Incorporating efficient design principles in the construction of a new distribution center in New Albany, Ohio (a suburb of Columbus).  
  • Upgrading the exterior lighting, including walking path, roadway and parking lot lighting, at our Columbus-based campuses with brighter, more efficient lighting.
  • In 2010, our Bath and Body Works headquarters received LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) under the Existing Building: Operations and Maintenance (EB O&M) designation. Silver certification recognizes that Bath & Body Works has gone above and beyond the requirements needed for certification including: achieving significant improvements in energy efficiency and water use; developing and implementing programs to reduce waste sent to landfill; encouraging and facilitating sustainable purchasing practices; and improving the indoor environmental quality of the building.

Transportation

We work with some of the leading logistics companies to efficiently transport our goods using a variety of means. In order to minimize the impact of our supply chain logistics on the environment, Bath & Body Works is committed to:

  • Utilizing the most efficient means of transportation that meets our delivery needs and schedules; and
  • Utilizing highly efficient trailer stacking techniques to optimize the use of trailer space and reduce the number of trucks and amount of energy required to transport our merchandise to our distribution centers.

Bath & Body Works has been a partner in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's SmartWay Transport Partnership program since 2006. The SmartWay program works with shippers, freight carriers and logistics companies to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution caused by the transportation of goods. Since 2013, more than 98 percent of our domestic carriers are certified by SmartWay. Certified SmartWay carriers are best-in-class carriers who leverage technology and best practices to move freight as efficiently as possible.

In 2021 U.S. EPA SmartWay recognized the company as a High Performer in the Shippers category.  Approximately five percent of all SmartWay shippers meet the emissions and carrier selection criteria to make the SmartWay High Performer list for shippers. 

In 2017, Bath & Body Works was named on the U.S. EPA’s inaugural list of SmartWay High Performers, recognizing efficiencies in the company’s shipping and freight operations. Only five percent of all SmartWay shippers meet the emissions and carrier selection criteria to make the SmartWay high-performer list for shippers. View the complete list of 2017 SmartWay High Performers and the criteria for recognition.  Additionally, Bath & Body Works was awarded an Environmental Excellence Award from the U.S. EPA SmartWay Transport Partnership in 2007 and 2009 for its leadership in conserving energy and lowering greenhouse gas emissions from its transportation and freight activities.

Bath & Body Works through its support of the Columbus Partnership in Columbus, Ohio, contributed to the success of the city's selection as the $50 million dollar grant recipient – a national effort led by the United States Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) that resulted in the Smart Columbus initiative. The purpose of the initiative is to explore and test smart, alternative, energy-saving transportation alternatives. As part of that initiative, Body Works partnered together to host one of the largest Electric Vehicle (EV) test-drive events in the city for our associates in the spring of 2018.