showcasing our retailers

At Park Royal, we have made great progress in greening our shopping centre operations, but we realize the impact will be much greater if we encourage our retailers to get on board. While some of them are leading the way, others are just beginning to follow.

Many small- to medium-sized businesses simply don’t know where to start, so Park Royal has adopted a pilot program that will give them the tools to become more sustainable. It will help them run a profitable business that embraces social and environmental values, generates less waste, reduces costs, and provides visibility for their green initiatives.

Each participating retailer receives an eco-audit of their business, including waste, water, energy, purchasing, materials, and social responsibility. We then provide them with a list of clear, attainable goals and action items. Included in the pilot program are Urban Tea Merchant, Carousel Cleaners, Gem Goldsmith, M Smart Design, and Toy Jungle.

Some of these retailers are already making great progress.

Carousel Cleaners uses only biodegradable poly bags for packaging, and saves energy by reusing steam from the boiler to heat  water for the wet cleaning machines. Owner/operator Cam Bastien also recycles hangers, uses low energy high output  lighting, bio degradable detergents and has reduced cleaning solution consumption by a factor of 12 through the efficiency of his machinery.

Thai Tran of Gem Goldsmith sells only ethically sourced diamonds.

Toy Jungle is a key member of the community and participates in many local social causes – including running their own Bed Race Team in support of the Lions Gate Hospital Foundation. Toy Jungle is working hard to reduce its environmental footprint.

The Urban Tea Merchant reduces packaging by offering a reusable tea caddy. Purchase a reusable tea caddy, and receive a discount when you come in to have it refilled. Owner Karinna James wants her customers to know that she is excited to be a part of the program, and that she's looking forward to contributing to a more sustainable future.

We invite you to follow the progress of these retailers in the months to come. We'll post updates on this site, and highlight new participants in the program.