Why Wayfair?

As the Spring Semester is over, my Corporate Sustainability course through Harvard Business Extension has come to an end. However, as I look back over my notes and assignments, it certainly seems like the gift that keeps on giving. One such present is my final assignment: an in-depth review/ case study of all things “sustainability” at one (1) Fortune 500 company. For this assignment, I chose to investigate Wayfair.

Why Wayfair?

Wayfair is an e-commerce platform for all things “home.” If you’re in the market for discounted drapes, reduced-price rugs, or bargains on bunk beds, Wayfair has you covered. Are you looking for the perfect coffee table, accent mirror, or sofa to bring your living room to life? Wayfair has (literally) thousands of options.

How does this inspire a sustainability case study?

To be honest, prior to this assignment, I knew nothing about sustainability at Wayfair.

While furnishing my studio apartment in December 2018, Wayfair sold me what would become my favorite blue hallway rug at a much-needed discount. This purchase (and the hours of searching prior to clicking “buy”) put them on my personal radar. Then, in June 2019, Wayfair made headlines when employees staged a walkout in protest of their work with government contractors at the US-Mexico border. Although the protest ultimately had little effect on Wayfair’s business model, I was intrigued by the idea of employees demanding their employer do better in the world. It was this idea which ultimately inspired me to dig a little deeper into Wayfair’s affairs for the sake of our final Corporate Sustainability assignment.

To assemble my case, I poured over Wayfair’s website and publicly available documents including SEC Filings (basically: required documents for a company on the stock exchange) and Annual Reports. I also read an endless number of articles written by others about Wayfair and/or the home furnishings industry in general. Per the requirements of the course, I was not allowed to contact Wayfair in order to complete the case study and so was unable to interview staff members who may (or may not) have been able to offer their own unique insights. While this level of research may not yet allow me to be known as a "Wayfair expert," I'm more reliably informed than the average consumer.

As it turns out, Wayfair, like much of the home furnishings industry, is hardly a beacon of sustainability. However, as our Professor pointed out, organizations with room for improvement tend to make the best case studies. In fact, there are a few highlights from my final paper that are worth expanding upon, using Wayfair as an example for issues that exist beyond their organization.

In the next few blog posts, I intend to explore:

- Supply chain transparency,

- “Fast Furniture”, and

- Social (IR)Responsibility

I hope you’ll join me.

Pictured Below: My favorite blue hallway rug, courtesy of Wayfair.