Walmart in Renewed Call for Greener Vendors

-- Home Textiles Today, 3/7/2010 12:00:00 AM

Bentonville, Ark. —

Walmart wants to reduce its supply chain greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions footprint — and it has joined with an ecology organization as it calls upon its vendors for new initiatives.

Walmart has established an advisory team for the effort, led by the Environmental Defense Fund and including PricewaterhouseCoopers, ClearCarbon Inc., the Carbon Disclosure Project and the Applied Sustainability Center (ASC) at the University of Arkansas.

“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.”

The new goal is to cut 20 million metric tons of GHG from the supply chain by the end of 2015 — which the retailer said is about 50% more than its projected “global carbon footprint growth over the next five years.”

“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,” said Fred Krupp, president of EDF.

The reduction effort will identify GHG emissions by product category, and will monitor reduction means involving the sourcing of raw materials, manufacturing, transportation, customer use or end-of-life disposal functions. The advisory team will calculate and assess the reductions made under the Walmart program.