Gap Inc. – Nagashree Manwatkar – 2017

Goals

Clothing retail giant, Gap Inc. has committed to reduce absolute Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions globally across all owned and operated facilities by 50 percent from 2015 levels by the end of 2020. Mindful of its energy use, Gap wanted to improve the energy efficiency in its fleet of approximately 3,000 stores, starting with the Athleta brand. EDF Climate Corps fellow Nagashree Manwatkar was enlisted to consider energy efficiency holistically as a way optimize overall performance. 

Solutions

Manwatkar developed a comprehensive analysis of retrofit opportunities, including but not limited to, LED lighting, energy management systems, HVAC optimization, and operational improvements. She then studied the existing state of energy management and helped identify what a central energy management team could look like. Looking outside of Gap’s walls, Manwatkar researched various financing and tax incentives at both the federal and state level that Gap could take advantage of.

Following her analysis, Manwatkar prioritized a list of initiatives for Gap to follow. The list is broken down and can be filtered by prioritization of stores, kWh reductions, ROI, and feasibility.  

Potential Impact

Manwatkar’s analysis has helped Gap build a framework of standards for new construction stores and retrofit opportunities for existing Athleta locations. Incorporating the recommendations will minimize the company’s overall environmental footprint and operating costs.