Walmart, P&G Announce New Green Initiatives

Walmart, the world’s biggest retailer remains a key leader in environmental initiatives, announcing two weeks ago that it would cut 20 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions from its supply chain by the end of 2015 — the equivalent of removing more than 3.8 million cars from the road for one year.

“Energy efficiency and carbon reduction are central issues in the world today,” said Mike Duke, Walmart president and CEO. “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.” via Walmart

Walmart collaborated with Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) to develop this approach that looks at the supply chain on a global scale. Other members of the external advisory team include PricewaterhouseCoopers, ClearCarbon Inc., the Carbon Disclosure Project and the Applied Sustainability Center (ASC) at the University of Arkansas. This team will identify projects, quantify reductions, engage suppliers and ensure proper procedures are followed for each GHG reduction claim.

Any action taken by Walmart traditionally impacts an entire business sector. Their clout is so massive that suppliers can’t have one set of standards for Walmart and another for other retailers. For more details on Walmart’s Selection-Action-Assessment process, read the press release.

Walmart’s participating in the potentially transforming Boom Energy test, which hopes to redefine clean energy in the world.

Specific examples of Walmart’s other actions include:

- reducing fuel costs by $26 million by changing the way it manages its truck fleet.Walmart intends to double the fuel efficiency of its truck fleet by 2015, saving $200 million a year at the pump.

- Walmart is testing trucks that burn biofuels generated from waste grease at Walmart’s delis.

- Walmart’s committed to lowering costs associated with packaging materials, advanced further by the new announcement.

The company only sells concentrated liquid laundry detergents in North America, an initiative that ‘s reduced the size of packaging by up to 50 percent. The company’s eventual goal is no packaging waste.

- Walmart is also part of the sustainable fishing initiative, which is very popular with Anne of Carversville readers. In in 2006 Wal-Mart decided to switch, within five years, all its purchases of wild-caught seafood to fisheries certified as sustainable.

Diapers - Yes, Diapers! on FlickrThe general population, including skeptics, might be surprised to learn how strongly Walmart and other major corporations believes in global warming and sustainability issues. Big business is less concerned with why and who is causing environmental changes that acknowledging that being wrong in the climate change crapshoot carries costs that are too high for the planet to bear.

In many sustainability and land use challenges, global warming isn’t the big challenge.

Companies believes that energy costs will only rise and reducing ‘excess’ is a high priority among consumers. While environmentalists praise Walmart’s efforts, there is soft criticism around the fact that Walmart is a huge contributor to our disposable society that thrives on cheap goods.

P&G ‘Future Friendly’ Campaign

Cincinnati-based P&G president of North America Melanie Healie announced today a new consumer initiative addressing the interest in P&G customers in products that have both environmental and economic benefits.

The Cincinnati-based company pledges to reach 50 million U.S. households with conservation information. P&G last year increased its overall sustainability goals, among major companies focusing more on environmental measures. via AP

Included in the initiative, which takes seriously competition from new green products introduced in P&G dominant product categories is Pampers, which is a massive global problem in terms of disposability. The new Pampers is 20% thinner, with no lost of efficacy, according to P&G.

If current U.S. Pampers users switch to the new Pampers slim diaper, they could together throw away the weight of 1 billion fewer diapers every three years, according to P&G.

Major corporations like General Electric, the Ford Motor Company and PepsiCo, have teamed up with environmental groups to set up the United States Climate Action Partnership, a wide-ranging coalition trying to find ways to cut emissions throughout the economy.

As of Feb. 2010, three companies decided not to renew their memberships — BP, Caterpillar and ConocoPhillips. Three new corporations joined: AES (American Education Services), Alstom (power and rail transport) and Honeywell. This link to USCA lists major business members and contains several strategy documents.

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