Walmart-at-the-Crossroads-FINAL-06.04.15

energy consumption derived from renewable sources.
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At 45 metric tons of CO2 for every million
dollars of sales, Walmart’s operations are significantly less efficient than competitors like Target and
Costco (at 42 and 16 metric tons, respectively). In fact, Walmart ranks 33 rd in the list of top industrial
polluters, just after Chevron.
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Additionally, Scott promised that by 2012 stores built before 2005 would reduce greenhouse gas
(GHG) emissions by 20%, a goal which Walmart claims to have reached.
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Despite supposedly reaching
“Walmart ranks 33rd in
the list of top industrial
polluters, just after
Chevron.”
this goal, Walmart has not outlined regulations on the GHG
emissions from new stores built since 2005. Given that a new store
is built roughly every eight hours somewhere in the world,
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without
regulations, the GHG emissions from these new stores may
counteract the reduction of emissions at Walmart’s original stores.
Additionally, any store that added square footage since 2005 was removed from the program to reduce
emissions. This system allowed Walmart to claim success in reaching its 2012 emissions goal, when in
reality it may not have actually attained this goal if Walmart included those stores that were removed
from the tally.
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In another push to reduce GHG emissions, Walmart announced in 2010 that it would cut 20
million metric tons (MMTs) of GHGs out of its supply chain by the end of 2015.
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As of March 2015,
Walmart’s website stated that the company has “…eliminated more than 7.575 MMT of GHG
emissions” from the supply chain.
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When measured as part
of the overall goal of GHG emissions reduction, this puts
Walmart at 38 percent goal completion with just 7 months
left in the plan.
Besides attempting to reduce GHG emissions
throughout its supply chain internally, Walmart also requires
in its environmental standards that suppliers be “leaders in
the implementation of measures for reducing air and water
“Walmart’s demand for
extremely low prices, however
means suppliers may struggle
to test out new strategies that
would reduce emissions, due to
the fear of losing their contract
with Walmart.”
pollutants, energy and water usage and waste.”
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Walmart’s demand for extremely low prices, however,
means suppliers may struggle to test out new strategies that would reduce emissions, due to the fear of
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