At Saks Incorporated, we believe we have a responsibility to improve the communities that make our business possible. This is not only where we work, this is where we live. Our company and Associates have a long tradition of caring for our communities.

As active members of our local and global communities, we are ready and willing to provide relief following unexpected disasters.

• September 11 — we collected supplies, gave funds, and donated blood following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
• Tsunamis — following the massive earthquake and tsunamis that devastated South Asia on December 26, 2004, we contributed $100,000 to the American Red Cross for relief efforts.
• Hurricanes — the many hurricanes ravaging the Southeastern U.S. in 2004 & 2005 prompted us to create an Associate Relief Fund, which provides financial help to our fellow associates who incur hardships as a result of nature’s wrath.

These examples are just a few of many. When disasters happen in the future, we are committed to helping victims recover.

We also support causes of national importance, such as:

• WWII Memorial — We donated $100,000 to support the building of this memorial, which honors all military veterans of WWII.
• The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center — We donated $100,000 to building this new museum in Ohio dedicated to commemorating the past and changing the future. 
• Let Freedom Ring — With MCI, we raised three million minutes for American Troops to call home. For a designated period, every $25 spent in our department stores with one of our proprietary credit cards generated a call home.

Many Local Causes

Because of the size and scope of our company, our many stores focus individual attention on worthwhile causes in each of their specific locations. These causes include women's cancer research and treatment, St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital, charity: water, the American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association, the United Cerebral Palsy Foundation, Habitat for Humanity, the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, the Make-a-Wish Foundation, as well as countless others.

FIGHTING CANCER - Key To The Cure

During a special shopping weekend every fall, all Saks Fifth Avenue and Saks Fifth Avenue OFF 5TH stores nationwide and saks.com donate a percentage of sales to fight breast and women’s reproductive cancers. In the 10 years since the inception of the Saks Fifth Avenue charity shopping event, the company, together with its vendors and partners, has raised more than $30 million. The money raised through Saks Fifth Avenue’s annual KEY TO THE CURE benefits more than 50 charitable programs dedicated to finding new detection methods, treatments and, hopefully, a cure for women’s cancers through The Entertainment Industry Foundation’s Women’s Cancer Research Fund.

ST. JUDE'S CHILDREN'S RESEARCH HOSPITAL

In our third year of participation in St. Jude's Thanks and Giving®, Saks Fifth Avenue has raised over $1.4 million through customer and associate contributions. We are proud to support St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital, a truly remarkable pediatric treatment and research facility, where no one pays for treatment beyond what is covered by insurance, and where those without insurance are never asked to pay.

charity: Water

In our first year of working with charity: water (2008), we raised over $500,000 through customer and associate well sponsorships and donations, sales of charity: water bracelets, and Mother's Day e-card sales. Charity: water is a non-profit organization bringing clean and safe drinking water to people in developing nations.

ENVIRONMENTAL CARE

At Saks Incorporated, we understand that energy efficiency is not only good for the bottom line, but that it also helps to protect our environment. We know that even a small reduction in our consumption could prevent greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to taking 1,000 cars off the road.

We partner with the EPA's ENERGY STAR Buildings and Green Lights Partnership to eliminate energy inefficiencies in our properties. Together, we have made significant investments in energy management systems with more efficient lighting and air conditioning upgrades at most of our properties. We’ve even participated in programs with local utilities to reduce our energy use during peak times to prevent blackouts.

Saks Incorporated was one of the first retailers to adopt a higher efficiency halogen lamp which reduced energy consumption by 10% without reducing light output or lamp life. Now, we are moving to the latest generation of high-efficiency fluorescent lighting.

We are taking steps to further optimize our energy usage, and will be testing new technologies that reduce the energy usage of our elevators and escalators. We are also exploring emerging technologies that may allow us to produce our own electricity and further reduce our energy consumption.