Walmart says its sustainability best practices are part of its supply chain DNA and achieved through collaboration among all key players both inside and outside of the retailer.Footnote
Walmart’s sustainability initiatives are designed to achieve a number of goals. To achieve these goals, several policies have to be implemented by the retailer and also with its key partners in the supply chain network. In 2015, Fortune magazine ranked Walmart’s sustainability efforts as number four. Vodafone and Safaricom tied for the number-one position and Google and Toyota ranked numbers two and three, respectively. This made Walmart the highest-ranking retailer and consumer product company in the top 100.
Walmart’s sustainability goals include the following:Footnote
Renewable energy goal—In 2015, 26 percent of Walmart’s electricity was supplied globally by renewable energy. Walmart has set a goal to purchase 7 billion kilowatt-hours (kwh) of renewable energy by 2020, a 600 percent increase compared to 2010.
Zero waste goal—In 2014, in the United States, Walmart diverted 82.4 percent of its waste into usable materials. Outside the United States, it achieved 68 percent waste diversion. The goal is to eliminate all landfill waste in the United States by 2025. To achieve the same goal globally, will be more challenging, according to Walmart.
Greenhouse gas emissions goal—In a 10-year period that ended in 2015, Walmart cut 20 million metric tons (MMT) of greenhouse gas emissions from its global SCM. This is the equivalent of taking more than 5.9 million cars off the road for an entire year. Walmart also doubled its fleet efficiency during the 10-year time frame. Promotion of greener and eco-friendly products are also among its sustainability goals.Footnote
In April 2019, at its 2019 sustainability milestone summit, Walmart announced that for the first time, its U.S. stores will carry reusable bags that will be available to customers for purchase. The goal of this new campaign is to help reduce plastic waste and increase customer convenience by placing reusable bags in easy-to-find and highly visible places in its stores. As part of the launch, Walmart is rolling out a new assortment of reusable bags that are made with postconsumer recycled content.Footnote
Questions and Discussions
How has Walmart made its supply chain more sustainable?
What is the goal of launching reusable bags?
Answer the questions and then post a summary along with your responses. Summary should be paragraph written responses that reflects your understanding- NOT a simple 1 sentence response. No more than 200 words. Use APA citations/references.
