At Bob's, our goal is to continue to make energy-saving and environmentally-sound initiatives a priority, whether it's the use of LED lighting, recycling, or donating our furniture to non-profits in the area.

We are committed to reducing our environmental impact by making more sustainable choices across our operations in support of a better future for our guests, employees, and communities.

Here are some of the ways Bob's is focused on lessening our environmental impact:

Powering up our energy goals

Bob's wants to prove that eco-friendly operations can coexist with business growth!

One way we support our energy goals is by conserving our fuel use by maximizing our truck capacities. There is no such thing as a half-full truck - we strive to get them as close to full as possible before they go out on the road! This practice, known as cube optimization, eliminated 878 trucking trips in 2022 resulting in 290,551 less miles driven reducing our carbon footprint by 47.02 metric tons.

Like a giant game of Tetris, our focus on “cube optimization”, or smartly loading our trucks, results in less miles on the road.

Another way we are mindful of our energy consumption is by maximizing our use of responsible energy. Here are some impressive facts related to Bob’s energy consumption:

1)    Since 2017, the energy team has replaced older less efficient lighting with LED lights in 65 Bob's stores and retrofitted 36 stores with EMS (energy management system) that allows Bob's energy team to control HVAC and lighting remotely.

2)    Since May of 2019, all new stores come standard with LED lights, EMS and high efficiency HVAC. As a result of these design changes, all stores built with our current design specifications use on average 50% less energy than a store built just six years ago.

3)    By the end of 2023, all Bob's distribution centers will use 100% LED both internally and externally.

Through Bob's commitment to social responsibility, the work of the energy team, and new store design changes, Bob's decreased its energy use by 16.5M KWH and as a result reduced our carbon footprint by over 14 metric tons of CO2 gas, which is equivalent of 35,181,912 miles driven by the average gas-powered passenger vehicle!

Sustainability in our product offerings

Bob's works closely with our suppliers toward our long-term goal of eliminating unacceptable sources of wood. Specifically, we are working with our vendors to increase the amount of responsibly sourced wood in our furniture assortment which includes wood from certified and reclaimed and recycled sources.

Bob's Discount Furniture's expectation is that our vendors do not use wood from unacceptable sources, including:

●    Illegally harvested or traded timber

●    Timber harvested in violation of traditional or civil rights

●    Timber harvested from areas in which high conservation values are threatened by poor forest management

●    Timber from forests in which genetically modified trees are planted

Our goal is to continually expand our vendors' 3rd party certification system with a strong preference for the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) as an industry leader in promoting forest management.

As a leader in the furniture industry, by adopting and implementing our Responsible Wood Sourcing Policy, we seek to set a positive example for our peers and to do our part to protect the world's forests.

Creating a culture around recycling

We believe that everything has value, and we do our part to recycle as much as we can including foam, cardboard, plastic film, and mattresses!

The numbers speak for themselves! Check out how much cardboard, foam, and plastic film we recycled last year!

Recycled Materials in Pounds in 2022
Cardboard	24,772,080
Foam	976,690
Film	991,630
Total Pounds	26,740,400

 

When it comes to cardboard, the Bob's  team delivers around 380,000 dining chairs each year, and we try to maximize the life of each box and recycle those that aren't fit for delivery. Each box is used for up to four deliveries before they are recycled. Our goal is to recycle 70% of all chair boxes every year. That is equal to about 232,000 boxes each year. To learn more, watch this quick video:

Bob's also participates in a mattress recycling program. Did you know that if you purchase a mattress from Bob's and have it delivered using my BOBtastic Delivery Experience, we will remove your old mattress? ( Please read the FAQ for more details.) The old mattresses are sent off to a company that recycles their fibers so they can live another life.

Donating to Conservation Efforts

In addition to donating furniture to organizations like Habitat for Humanity, transitional housing organizations and various shelters, Bob's Community Outreach program  also makes contributions to ocean conservation programs including Mystic Aquarium's Coral Rescue Laboratory and Maritime Aquarium's conservation program.