Canadian Tire’s approach to sustainability goes beyond being a ‘green initiative’— it’s embedded into how we operate our business. Our sustainability strategy helps drive innovation, profitability and growth, with three aspirations:

1. Energy and Climate – Profitably grow our business without increasing the net carbon footprint of the economy
2. Waste – Eliminate unnecessary packaging while sending zero waste to landfills 
3. Products and Services – Provide innovative products and services that meet our customer’s needs without compromising the needs of future generations

This is reflected in our commitment to lead sustainable business practices, as demonstrated by:

  Energy and Climate

• Implementing transportation practices that increase fuel economy, lower our operating costs, reduce greenhouse gasses and contribute to a cleaner environment;
• Partnerships with utility companies, community organizations and the government to promote the use of environmentally preferable products;
• Proactively addressing environmental issues as they relate to our business, such as assessing our carbon footprint and implementing a strategy to reduce it; and
• Designing and building the next generation of energy efficient stores that will be 75% more energy efficient than those built in 2010. The first of these stores opened in May 2011.  

Waste

• Maintaining our participation, in partnership with our Dealers, in over 40 environmental stewardship programs for products such as used tires, batteries, oil, pesticide containers, leftover paint, and electronics;
• Since 2007, we have eliminated or recycled more than 4,000 tonnes of cardboard, plastic and metal, in addition to approximately 13 million pounds of lead acid batteries.
•  Contributed $17.9 million in 2010 to community  blue box and industry product stewardship and recycling programs.

  Products and Services

• Expanding our exclusive Blue Planet® brand to include new innovative products;
• Right-sizing our product packaging to ensure the correct amount of packaging is allotted to our products, which will help reduce the waste that we produce and reduce the GHG emissions associated with transporting products to stores.
• Product Stewardship takes an active role in ensuring that the products that we sell meet the expectations of our customers and stakeholders with respect to product safety, performance, industry standards, regulations and sustainability, through the product’s lifecycle from its manufacture, use and end-of-life disposition. 

Our approach to sustainability involves looking at our extended value chain and the life cycle of products – including product sourcing, transporting product to stores, the design and operation of stores, and the eventual “end-of-life” product disposal and recycling – in the most energy efficient and cost efficient manner. The end result is a strategy that advances our business while directly benefiting both customers and the environment.