Burlington Stores publishes corporate social responsibility report

US retailer Burlington Stores has published its third annual corporate social responsibility report, revealing the progress it’s made across its Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) initiatives.

The off-price retailer said Monday it managed to reduce its Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions per operating square foot and per dollar of sales revenue by 44 percent and 38 percent, respectively, when compared to its 2016 baseline level.

The company installed a rooftop solar array at its new California distribution center last year which is expected to produce about 7,685,000 kilowatt-hours (KWh) of electricity annually - the equivalent of taking over one thousand cars off the road for a year, it said.

The retailer also developed a new 25,000 square foot store prototype, which it expects to enable leaner inventory, reduced resources and lower energy consumption compared to previous stores.

It also raised more than 5.5 million dollars through customer donations at point of sale for non-profit organizations The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and AdoptAClassroom.org.

Other highlights during the year include the creation and filling of a new senior vice president of inclusion and diversity position, and the implementation of a Diversity Action Plan, which includes a 1 million dollar donation to organizations dedicated to advancing social justice and racial equality.