Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC) is one of Canada’s most progressive retailers, having embraced a philosophy of corporate, social and environmental responsibility since its creation in 1971.
Not simply a retailer, MEC engages in its own research and product development to ensure that it remains on the leading edge of sustainable practice. As early as 1994, MEC began manufacturing clothing using polyester fleece made from recycled pop bottles.
In the same year, anticipating a period of rapid expansion, MEC began to look seriously at the environmental impacts of its building program. Its board of directors endorsed a policy requiring environmental consultation for the construction and renovation of new and existing facilities. From modest beginnings, the outdoor retail cooperative now has over four million members and annual sales of more than $300 million.
With each new building project, MEC has endeavoured to advance its own sustainability agenda, and in this respect wood has played an important role. In 2002, the MEC Ottawa store was constructed largely from heavy timber salvaged from an existing building on the site; in 2008, the Burlington store was designed with a completely demountable heavy timber structure that earned it a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) credit for innovation; and in 2013, the North Vancouver store, another building in which wood features prominently, received a Canadian Green Building Award for its comprehensive approach to sustainability.
