Building a green store: A case study of Kohl’s

Retailer’s adoption of environmentally friendly construction practices is pivotal for the sustainability of the marketplace. With this, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) created the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification in 2000 as a green building rating system. Considering this, Kohl’s department store was selected for an in-depth single-case study to explore LEED for retail certification and gain insight on how Kohl’s has obtained this certification for thirty-two department stores. The results provide examples of how future retailers can incorporate environmentally friendly practices into their construction process, as well as areas where improvements can be made by Kohl’s. This work contributes to the body of literature exploring green retailing (GR) while providing specific applications of GR for future retail spaces to utilize LEED certification and integrate sustainable actions into the construction process.