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This spring, more than 100,000 hours of associates’ personal time was contributed to more than 3,000 active and wellness organizations to inspire communities to be active and stay well.
As part of this initiative, Kohl’s hosted an event at the Pettit National Ice Center with Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee where more than 100 associates led nearly 200, third through eighth graders, through a variety of activities including ice skating, obstacle courses, track workouts and a healthy eating workshop.
On the east coast, Kohl’s associates partnered up with Under Armour to lead nearly 400 kids from Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Baltimore in activities like flag football, relay races, bean bag tosses and more.
These events showed youth how fun active and wellness lifestyles can be.
With the success of the spring volunteer initiative, Kohl’s continued its support of Boys & Girls Clubs of America during the back-to-school season to ensure children across the country are empowered to reach their full potential now and in the future.
Kohl’s donated $1 for each pair of jeans sold in store and online in early August, up to $1 million.
Kohl’s was honored to receive the Boys & Girls Clubs of America 2017 Cause Marketing Award for these efforts.
This summer, more than 600 associates from across the country volunteered in support of our military and their families.
Associates volunteered in many different and impactful ways, such as collecting donations, manning a weeklong camp, and assisting trainers of service dogs for veterans.
The Veterans Business Resource Group volunteered with Camp Hometown Heroes, an organization that provides a free week-long camp for children and younger siblings of fallen U.S. service members.
Throughout the course of one week, approximately 90 associates volunteered more than 400 hours, helping to prepare food and setting up activities with the kids such as capture the flag.
Kohl’s associates were proud to support an organization that provides healing for so many children right in their own community.
In 2017, the Kohl’s product development team put their heads together with the American Cancer Society (ACS) to create thoughtful and purposeful head wraps for those battling cancer.
More than 300 associates volunteered their time to stitch 800 head wraps, as well as create skincare kits, provider care packages and more to support ACS.
These gifts are distributed to patients and their families during treatment.
The head wrap effort allowed Kohl’s product development associates to bring their expertise to a worthwhile cause.
It is just one of the many ways the company has given back to the organization.
Click below to see how the event came to life and visit Corporate.Kohls.com to learn more about Kohl’s partnership with ACS.
LIFTING UP COMMUNITIES AFTER NATURAL DISASTERS The year 2017 proved to be devastating with natural disasters such as Hurricane Harvey, Hurricane Irma and California wildfires impacting thousands across the country.
In these unfortunate and challenging times, the company made a decision to help our associates, customers and communities recover and rebuild in the aftermath of these destructive disasters.
In 2017, Kohl’s donated $2 million to the American Red Cross to help provide immediate assistance, including safe shelters, food and comfort for families in need.
Since 2001, Kohl’s has donated more than $8.5 million to support the American Red Cross with disaster relief efforts across the country.
We provided opportunities for associates and customers to make a financial donation to the American Red Cross through various in-store and digital marketing efforts.
Kohl’s provided financial assistance to help affected associates return to a normal life as quickly as possible.
More than $600,000 was provided to associates for home or automobile repairs, and replacing personal belongings such as clothing, furnishings and other necessary items.
Per Kohl’s standard policy, we also continued compensation for a limited time for associates based at locations that closed as a result of the natural disasters.
Kohl’s issued a special discount for associates and customers living within the regions impacted by Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma to help them get the supplies they needed.
Kohl’s associates also joined together to help their communities and fellow associates during these difficult times.
In 2017, they supported disaster relief efforts surrounding Hurricane Harvey, Hurricane Irma and the California Wildfires, volunteering more than 3,800 hours through the Kohl’s volunteer program.
This resulted in more than $235,000 volunteer disaster grants directly supporting the impacted communities.
Additionally, associates donated thousands of items to help provide their co-workers and the Houston and Florida communities with basic necessities including apparel and household items.
Kohl’s supports our hometown of Milwaukee, Wis., through strong partnerships with local, nonprofit organizations.
Milwaukee is where we made our start, so it’s important to Kohl’s that we give back to the community.
We are extremely proud of our more than 20 hometown and affiliate partners – each help make Milwaukee thrive.
Our local efforts focus on supporting the acute needs of our city, including safety, poverty and education.
Additionally, we look to support the iconic institutions that make Milwaukee a great place to live.
Because of this, we give to a wide variety of causes, including arts and culture, health, education, conservation and social service.
We also sponsor some of Milwaukee’s most premier, family-friendly events to ensure everyone in southeast Wisconsin can have access to the amazing programming our partners develop.
• COA Youth & Family Centers – Kohl’s partners with COA to help ensure Milwaukee’s youth has the knowledge and tools needed to succeed and thrive in today’s workforce.
Support expands after- school and summer programs at learning centers, adds programming to include school off-days and introduces vital science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) curriculum through the Kohl’s Explore Your Future program.
In 2017, more than 4,500 youth engaged in Kohl’s supported programs at COA.
• Milwaukee Public Museum – To provide the opportunity to experience the rich history housed in the Milwaukee Public Museum’s exhibits and collections, Kohl’s Thank You Thursday gives local families free admission to the museum and access to more than 150,000 square feet of fascinating exhibit space on the first Thursday of every month.
Through Kohl’s Thank You Thursdays the Museum welcomed approximately 35,000 visitors in 2017.
For more information on all of Kohl’s hometown and affiliate partners, visit Corporate.Kohls.com.
http://Corporate.Kohls.com.
Field Trip Grant Program Through the Kohl’s Field Trip Grant program, access is provided to some of Milwaukee’s premier educational destinations, helping children learn and grow through valuable, experiential learning opportunities.
Grants valued at up to $1,000 each are provided to eligible schools on a first-come, first-served basis.
Participating schools can visit one of our hometown partner organizations: Betty Brinn Children’s Museum, Discovery World, Hunger Task Force, Junior Achievement of Wisconsin, Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee Public Museum or Milwaukee County Zoo.
In 2017, Kohl’s contributed more than $1 million in funding to more than 480 schools throughout metro Milwaukee.
Since program inception in 2013, Kohl’s and Kohl’s Cares have granted more than $5 million in field trips.
Hometown Giving Program In 2017, Kohl’s Cares launched the Kohl’s Hometown Giving program that provides an opportunity for nonprofits in Milwaukee County to apply for a grant ranging from $5,000 to $50,000.
Kohl’s awarded grants to 28 organizations, supporting arts and culture, conservation, education, health and social service nonprofits.
The grants will be used for everything from the expansion of youth development programs with Girls on the Run to supporting an entire academic school year of literacy intervention efforts at a high- need Milwaukee school with City Year Milwaukee.
Other initiatives in the Giving Program include the development of urban produce gardens at Walnut Way Conservation Corp., in-school performances and performing arts workshops by Skylight Music Theatre Corp., and the support of building 25 homes and rehabilitating eight others for low-income homebuyers through Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity.
We are committed to providing healthy and engaging environments for our customers and associates.
In 2017, we concentrated our sustainability efforts in three key strategic pillars: environmental stewardship; customer, associate, and stakeholder engagement; and operational efficiency.
By seeking solutions that encourage long-term sustainability, we try to leave a smaller footprint.
The steps we have taken and continue to take – both big and small – help us drive results as we strive to create a more sustainable tomorrow.
In 2015, we signed the American Business Act Pledge on Climate Change with more than 150 other companies to demonstrate our commitment to lowering greenhouse gas emissions over the long term for a sustainable future.
To remain responsible stewards of the environment and our resources, we will continue to prioritize cost-effective initiatives, recycling and reducing waste, and drive operational efficiency, in line with business needs.
Energy and fuel savings and recycling rebates present a positive business case for sustainability programs.
Our consistent recycling rate above 80 percent demonstrates our drive to reduce waste in the communities we serve.
Kohl’s hosts more than 200,000 solar panels on 163 rooftops around the country.
Each system can provide between 20 and 50 percent of a store’s energy needs.
We have also installed a total of nine solar trees between two corporate buildings in Menomonee Falls, Wis., and Dallas.
In addition to solar, Kohl’s hosts two wind turbines – both at our Findlay, Ohio, distribution center.
Kohl’s was honored with the 2017 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) WasteWise Award for our excellence in waste management, leading large businesses in its practices of preventing waste and recycling in order to achieve both environmental and economic benefits.
We are committed to recycling programs and waste avoidance strategies to support efforts to conserve resources.
This means encouraging associates, partners and customers to reduce their waste, and looking for opportunities to reuse and recycle materials.
Operational Waste In store and at our corporate facilities, our solid waste management policy covers the disposal of all consumables and durable goods with the goal of recycling as much material as possible.
Kohl’s recycles the shipping material from shipment packaging.
We also actively work with our merchant teams to increase the units per carton, helping to reduce the amount of handling, transportation and overall material in the supply chain.
In 2017, a recycling rate of more than 83 percent was achieved across our operations, moving closer to our goal of 85 percent.
Our recycling programs are bolstered by training and education.
Signage in the stockroom and other associate areas, as well as consistent training, reinforces awareness of the proper disposal of regulated items.
To help drive continuous improvement and a culture of sustainability, stores are rewarded throughout the year for employees’ sustainable behaviors.
More than 900 stores were recognized in 2017.
• Plastics - In 2014, we developed partnerships to help us recycle plastic film, bags and wrap.
As a result of these programs, we recycled more than 7 million pounds of plastic film, bags and wrap from shipping, store operations and customers in 2017.
• Dry Waste - Materials are collected and delivered to a facility to be sorted before being appropriately recycled or disposed of.
• Beauty Products - Kohl’s stores recycle fragrance testers, nail polish, soaps and other beauty products.
Products are collected and recycled into useful items like paints for models, outdoor furniture, floor cleaners and deodorizing sprays.
• Fabric Scraps - In 2017, we built on our existing garment recycling program by recycling fabric scraps in our New York, Milwaukee, and Findlay, locations that handle fabric.
In New York, associates sort scraps in one of two bags, one for regular scraps and another for proprietary materials.
At our headquarters outside of Milwaukee and in other corporate locations, associates place scraps into large purge boxes that are sorted at our distribution center in Findlay.
For more detail on environment measurements, please refer to Key Metrics at the end of this report.
Bag and Hanger Recycling Kohl’s recycles approximately 150,000 tons of materials each year, more than 80 percent of all waste generated.
In addition to our company recycling efforts, we want to make it easier for our customers to recycle as well.
Shoppers can find a bright, green box at Kohl’s stores where they can drop plastic bags, shipping envelopes, air pillows and product wrap.
Customers may also bring our hangers back to the store any time, for recycling and reuse.
To further this cause, our shopping bags are even made with sustainability in mind, as they contain 30-50 percent recycled, unbleached plastic – resulting in the gray colored bag customers receive when they shop at our stores.
we regularly participate in Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) Environmental Compliance and Sustainability meetings to share expertise and discuss industry trends in sustainability.
Kohl’s is one of the founding circle members of the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC) and maintains active membership.
The SAC is a group of apparel manufacturers, retailers, brands, and non-governmental organizations working together to standardize sustainability measurements in the apparel and footwear supply chain.
Its Higg Index is an indicator- based tool for apparel that enables companies to evaluate material types, products, facilities and processes based on a range of environmental and product design choices.
We use the Higg Index to benchmark ourselves against peers and engage our suppliers in the process of improving our textile supply chain and factory performance.
Kohl’s is supportive of electric vehicle usage.
To that end, in 2011 we started helping families play their part in lowering carbon emissions as we began providing electric vehicle charging stations in store and corporate parking lots.
What has made our stations especially valuable and unique is our decision to offer free charging during shopping and business hours.
Accessibility to stations, whether while shopping or at work, creates a convenient and easy experience for customers and associates while we support environmentally-friendly behavior.