Walmart Proposes Major Emissions Reductions in Global Supply Chain

Walmart recently announced a new sustainability goal to eliminate 20 million metric tons of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from its global supply chain by the end of 2015.

Energy efficiency will factor big in the retail giant's aggressive reductions, which represent one and a half times the company's estimated global carbon footprint growth over the same period, and is the equivalent of taking more than 3.8 million cars off the road for a year.

Said Mike Duke, Walmart president and CEO, "Energy efficiency and carbon reduction are central issues in the world today...We've been working to make a difference in these areas, both in our own footprint and our supply chain. We know that we have an opportunity to do more and the capacity to do more."

Walmart's strategy – which sees input from Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) and other external advisers such as PricewaterhouseCoopers, ClearCarbon Inc., the Carbon Disclosure Project and the Applied Sustainability Center (ASC) at the University of Arkansas – aims to reduce carbon in the life cycle of its products. The team of collaborators will identify projects, quantify reductions, engage suppliers and ensure proper procedures are followed for each GHG reduction claim.

This global systems approach will in turn reduce energy use and increase efficiency. Said Duke, "As we help our suppliers reduce their energy use, costs and carbon footprint, we'll be helping our customers do the same thing."

"Today the world's largest company begins a global race for carbon pollution cuts," said Fred Krupp, president of Environmental Defense Fund. "Walmart's bold move will help companies identify steps to slash pollution and costs. As this story unfolds, it will transform a vast supply chain here at home, and around the world."

Read more about Walmart's program to reduce GHG emissions.