Wal-Mart sets goal to slash greenhouse gas emissions

LOS ANGELES — Wal-Mart Stores Inc.
plans to cut 20 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions from
the life-cycle of its products by the end of 2015, the retail behemoth
said Thursday.

The number represents 1 1/2 times the company’s
estimated carbon growth over the next five years, or the equivalent of
the emissions produced by nearly 4 million cars over one year, Chief
Executive Mike Duke said in a Webcast presentation from the company’s Bentonville, Ark. corporate headquarters.

Wal-Mart previously
announced an ultimate goal of relying solely on renewable energy to run
all its operations while producing no waste. The mega-retailer
completed three solar installations in Southern California last month.

“We have the capacity to do more,” Duke said. “It’s a very sizable goal, as we often do at Wal-Mart.”

The greening process will occur as raw materials are sourced, and as goods are manufactured and transported, the company said. Wal-Mart will focus first on product categories most associated with carbon.

The goal could even spark a “race, a treasure hunt” among suppliers to find competitive ways to cut emissions, said Fred Krupp, president of the Environmental Defense Fund, which is partnering with Wal-Mart to reach the sustainability goal.

“Wal-Mart is looking at the big picture,” Krupp said during the Webcast.

Clear Carbon Inc. will check that Wal-Mart
and its suppliers use proper methodology to produce complete and
accurate calculations of reduced emissions, and Pricewaterhouse Coopers
will confirm the procedures using consulting standards, the retailer
said in its Webcast.

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