Since 1858
The best part about working on a legacy brand is the chance to shape its unfolding story.
Macy's Herald Square on 34th Street NYC
Market by Macy's small format store, Chicago
Macy's Tech offices, San Francisco
Then, and now
When Macy’s was ready to reorder shopping bags, we took the opportunity to explore more sustainable options. It wasn’t a mandate, but we knew the industry had work to do in that area, and we were glad to be a part of it.
An early consideration was the bag substrate. Because high recycled content is more gray than white, we had to rethink our red-star-white-bag design.
Taking inspiration from the bronze fixtures at the iconic flagship store on 34th Street, some vintage Macy’s totes, and the natural wood fixtures in Market by Macy’s stores, we introduced rich, warm colors into the brand palette.
An unbleached kraft substrate with high recycled content was then a natural choice for the new bag, and a step toward our sustainability goals.
We replaced poly ecommerce gift bags with a heavyweight kraft stock and a bright red satin ribbon to encourage reuse.
And finally: an idea emerged to reduce the number of bags needed overall. In collaboration with OceanCycle and our manufacturer, we developed a reusable bag made of ocean-bound plastics collected seaside before salt water diminishes their suitability for recycling.
Thoughtful designs by fashion designer Natali Germanotta echoed the ocean, and the shapes of countries where the ocean-bound material was sourced. These and other branded options were offered at checkout with reuse incentives for loyalty customers.
The impact
The program reduced single-use poly bags at Macy’s by 12%, utilized higher recycled content substrates, and saved $1.4M in production expense. Good for the bottom line, good for the future.