GREEN MASTERS PROGRAM CASE STUDIES

The Green Masters Program empowers businesses to measure, improve, and be recognized for their sustainability efforts. Through a robust self-assessment, participants benchmark their performance across nine key sustainability categories. This case study highlights how [Company Name] leveraged the program to identify opportunities, engage employees, and drive measurable environmental and social impact—demonstrating that sustainability is not just good for the planet, but also for business.

GREEN MASTERS PROGRAM CASE STUDY WITH LANDS’ END

Lands’ End, a Wisconsin-based lifestyle brand known for its quality clothing, footwear, and customer service, has made sustainability a cornerstone of its business strategy since its founding in 1963. The company’s commitment to creating timeless products with an emphasis on comfort is matched by a dedication to reducing its environmental impact.

Lands’ End has been an active participant in the Sustainable Business Council (SBC) since its establishment in 2008 and a part of the Green Masters Program® (GMP) for 15 years. Through the GMP, the company has gained valuable insights and a structured approach to sustainability, which has guided its efforts to reduce resource use, minimize waste, and enhance employee engagement. GMP has also provided Lands’ End with third-party validation, helping to elevate its credibility and inspire further environmental initiatives.

How Green Masters Helped

Lands’ End has participated in the Green Masters Program® for 15 consecutive years. The program has served as a valuable framework, guiding the company’s ongoing sustainability journey and shaping key accomplishments across its operations. Through the Green Masters Program®, Lands’ End has made measurable progress in areas such as facility water use reduction, improved lighting efficiency, waste minimization, and employee carpooling initiatives.

Their engagement has also inspired the pursuit of additional sustainability certifications and recognitions, including SaltWise Certification, EcoVadis, and TRUE Zero Waste. Building on this momentum, Lands’ End is currently preparing to publish its first ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) report—an important milestone in its commitment to transparency and continuous improvement.

Benefits from participation

Using the Green Masters Program® as a foundation since 2008, Lands’ End prioritized facility improvements focused on waste, energy, and employee-led sustainability initiatives. As their program matured, they introduced centralized waste stations across campus to raise awareness and help employees and visitors properly separate recyclables and landfill materials.

They also partnered with SaltWise to revamp salting procedures for both internal and external operations, requiring contractors to attend SaltWise training to promote responsible winter maintenance practices.

The third-party validation provided by the Green Masters Program® has helped enhance the company’s credibility and influence internal decision-making, serving as a catalyst for pursuing further certifications like SaltWise, EcoVadis, and TRUE.

ACHIEVEMENTS AT A GLANCE

Cut facility water usage by 50%
Replaced 90% of lighting on WI campus with LED fixtures
Added centralized waste stations to promote recycling and education
Converted ½ acre of land into a wildflower patch for employee enjoyment
Partnered with SaltWise to revamp salting procedures and train contractors
Preparing to publish their first ESG report

Ann Miess-Winch

Health and Safety Supervisor - Lands’ End

“Many of our sustainability efforts have always been general business practices—our way of doing business. What we lacked was formal written policies and procedures, many of which have now been written through our involvement with SBC and using the Green Masters Program®.”

GREEN MASTERS PROGRAM CASE STUDY WITH UW CREDIT UNION

UW Credit Union is a credit union based in Madison, WI, founded in 1931 to provide financial services to members across Wisconsin. According to their 2024 Annual Report, they currently have over 360,000 total members and $5.6 billion in assets. UWCU serves their members through a variety of services, including portfolio management, retirement planning, estate planning, life insurance, education funding, and long-term care planning.

In 2017, UW Credit Union was the first financial institution in Wisconsin to be recognized as a Green Masters company by the Wisconsin Sustainable Business Council. They have achieved Green Masters status in the seven consecutive years since and have showcased this achievement in their member-facing communications such as the Annual Reports, social media, and website. The Green Masters Program® has allowed UWCU to prioritize environmental initiatives, set goals, and reiterate their commitment to sustainability and employee engagement.

How Green Masters Helped

The Green Masters Program® has allowed UW Credit Union to align their business practices with what’s beneficial to the environment. UWCU also has an internal Green Team, one of their Employee Resource Groups, composed of 87 employees taking environmentally focused initiatives. In 2024, the Green Team tackled projects such as battery recycling, composting, and sustainability-focused volunteering.

Recently, UWCU has also made strides with their infrastructure, partnering with KEE Architecture and Findorff on their Madison administrative campus to incorporate the latest achievements in sustainability and occupant health. UWCU also used geothermal heating and cooling to provide comfortable indoor temperatures while reducing their reliance on fossil fuels.

Benefits from participation

1. Sustainably Designed Infrastructure

UW Credit Union has incorporated sustainable design elements into buildings, promoting increased access to daylight contributing to employee well-being and productivity as well as conserving resources and reducing air pollution.

2. Employee Involvement

UW Credit Union has used employee involvement to develop sustainability-focused events such as an annual Shred-It event to dispose of confidential information in addition to volunteering initiatives.

3. Building Sustainability Culture

Through the Green Masters program and internal initiatives such as UWCU’s Green Team, sustainability has become part of UWCU’s everyday practices and business culture.

ACHIEVEMENTS AT A GLACE

41% annual energy savings projected at new corporate campus
Recycled 400 pounds of batteries and made composting accessible to 500 employees through the Green Team ERG
Harvested clean energy from the sun with 561 solar panels
Constructed six EV charging stations with potential to build to 109 additional chargers

Jennifer Quale

Director of Real Estate & Facilities

“The Green Masters Program® will enhance your business as a whole through increased employee engagement, improved customer satisfaction and sustainable practices that narrow your footprint and make a long-lasting impact for everyone.”

USING THE GREEN MASTERS PROGRAM FOR GROWTH WITH CLIENTS CASE STUDY WITH EVOLUTION MARKETING

Founded in 2007, Evolution Marketing LLC provides its clients with a variety of sustainability-related services surrounding impact storytelling, marketing and communications, and green consulting. Their mission is to integrate sustainability and ESG (environmental, social, and governance) strategies into their clients' stories to highlight their accomplishments for employees, investors, and customers.

Evolution Marketing LLC has been part of the Green Masters Program and the Wisconsin Sustainable Business Council from its inception, one of the original nine businesses to pilot the program. They have received Masters status ten times, in addition to being the 7th certified B Corp in the state of Wisconsin.

How Green Masters Helped

Although Evolution Marketing LLC’s advanced sustainability practices have gone above and beyond the base goals of the Green Masters Program, Lisa Geason-Bauer, the President and Founder of Evolution Marketing, has been instrumental in partnering with the SBC to modify and tailor the GMP to a wide array of Wisconsin businesses. Since pilot testing the program in 2009 to being one of the premier examples of sustainability success for small Wisconsin businesses, Evolution Marketing LLC has grown alongside the GMP as expectations and attitudes around sustainability have changed over the past 15 years.

Benefits from participation

1. Expanding Sustainability Education

Evolution Marketing LLC began providing free sustainability courses on their website in 2023, covering topics such as impact storytelling, social sustainability, and the triple bottom line. Sharing this information publicly has allowed them to pursue equitable sustainability education for indiiduals, homeowners, or professionals.

2. Low Carbon Business Decisions

Evolution Marketing LLC has engaged in numerous sustainable practices aimed at lowering their carbon usage to directly meet UN Sustainable Development Goals. They engage in carbon-neutral shipping, implemented a compost program in 2013, and diverted 90% of their waste from landfills in 2023.

3. Direct Collaboration with the SBC

Evolution Marketing LLC has worked directly with the Sustainable Business Council throughout the development of the redesigned Green Masters Program. In 2023, they achieved the highest score in the Greenhouse Gas Emissions category (non-manufacturing company) across all participating Wisconsin based companies.

ACHIEVEMENTS AT A GLANCE

Raised their Certified B Corp Impact Assessment Score in March 2022 to 120.3, up from 91.7 in June 2018, reflecting their continued commitment to sustainability
Operating in a carbon neutral manner to offset emissions since 2018
Placed 11th out of 74 businesses in SBC-sponsored Cool Choices, a sustainability acheivement tracking game