Wal-Mart?s ?Green? Initiatives
by February 12, 2007 12:00 am 54 views
Organic Cotton: The Sam’s Club division introduced a yoga outfit made of organic cotton. It sold 190,000 outfits at 290 stores in 10 weeks. Wal-Mart is now the largest buyer of organic cotton in the world.
Wild-caught Fresh and Frozen Fish: In February 2006, Wal-Mart said that within the next three to five years it would buy wild-caught fish and frozen fish for the North American market only from Marine Stewardship Council-certified fisheries. Fish from MSC-certified fisheries have a blue eco-label that lets customers know the fish was harvested in a sustainable way.
Shrimp: Wal-Mart has partnered with the Global Aquaculture Alliance and the Aquaculture Certification Council Inc. to certify that all foreign shrimp suppliers adhere to best aquaculture practices standards.
Environmentally Friendly Products: Wal-Mart is working with suppliers to educate and inform customers through newspaper ads featuring new products that are good for the environment, such as compact fluorescent light bulbs and cold water detergents. Wal-Mart has a goal of selling 100 million compact fluorescent light bulbs by the end of 2007.
Trucks: Wal-Mart plans to increase its fleet efficiency by 25 percent over the next three years and to double it by 2015. When fully implemented in 2015, Wal-Mart would save $310 million annually in fuel costs.
Investments: Wal-Mart said it would invest about $500 million annually in sustainable technologies and innovations.
New Stores: Wal-Mart will design and open stores that are 25-30 percent more efficient and will produce up to 30 percent fewer greenhouse gas emissions within the next four years.
Sharing: Wal-Mart said it would share what it learns about sustainability with the world, including its competitors.
Suppliers: During the next 18 months, Wal-Mart said it would show preference to suppliers who set their own environmental goals and aggressively reduce their emissions.
Packaging: Wal-Mart is reducing the packaging on its private-label products. By making the packaging on its private label toys, Wal-Mart uses 497 fewer containers and saves $2.4 million on shipping costs