The Bedford DC also has rooftop solar panels that REI hosts through a regional power purchase agreement, which allows it to obtain green energy at a low rate. And, the facility boasts more than 360 skylights and windows that have helped REI cut costs and reduce its energy use by more than 33 percent. The skylights allow the company to keep the artificial lights inside the distribution center at half power on sunny days, while installed motion sensors shut off lights in areas that are not being used — innovations that helped REI recoup a return on investment in less than two years. “We quickly made up for the additional cost of the motion sensing and down lamping lights,” Joyce explains.
But short-term benefits were not the only thing REI had in mind when constructing the Bedford DC. “We didn’t intend to put in a building that we’d turn over at some point. This facility is a long-term investment for us, so it made sense to construct it in a way that brings long-term value,” Joyce says.
Part of that long-term value is the way the Bedford facility fits into the company’s commitment to stewardship and overall green supply chain philosophy. By locating a warehouse on the East Coast (REI’s other DC is in Sumner, Wash.), REI is able to bring freight in from overseas via the Panama Canal and into the Port of Baltimore — greatly reducing its carbon footprint over the typical Asia-to-the-West-Coast route. “We plan for an extra day or two of transportation with this option, but our footprint and our transportation costs are far less because we don’t have to truck products all the way across the country from the West Coast ports,” Joyce explains. In fact, although REI went from replenishing its stores just once per week when it only operated the Sumner facility to its current two or three weekly replenishments via the Bedford facility, its overall carbon footprint is lower. “We’ve increased service to our stores and customers, while decreasing our environmental impact,” Joyce notes.