Bentonville, Ark. – Wal-Mart is launching an ambitious program to cut 20 million
metric tons of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from its global supply chain by
the end of 2015.
The world’s largest retailer said it will work with
suppliers and environmental experts to reduce the GHG emissions of the products
it sells by examining every stage in their life cycle, from raw materials
sourcing, manufacturing and transportation, to customer use and end-of-life
disposal.
If successful, the decrease in emissions would be equivalent to
removing more than 3.8 million cars from the road for a year, the company
said.
“Energy efficiency and carbon reduction are central issues in the
world today,” said Wal-Mart president/CEO Mike Duke. “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.”
He said the effort will also lower costs for Wal-Mart and its
suppliers through reduced energy use.
The company is working with the
Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), PricewaterhouseCoopers, ClearCarbon, and the
Carbon Disclosure Project and the Applied Sustainability Center (ASC) at the
University of Arkansas to develop the approach, which addresses the supply chain
on a global scale. Together the team will identify projects, quantify
reductions, engage suppliers and ensure proper procedures are followed for each
GHG reduction claim, Wal-Mart said.
“Today the world’s largest company
begins a global race for carbon pollution cuts,” said Fred Krupp, president of
Environmental Defense Fund. “Wal-Mart’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.”
The announcement
was made by Duke and Krupp via a live Webcast this morning.
The project
supports Wal-Mart’s ultimate sustainability goal of being supplied 100 percent
by renewable energy, creating zero waste, and selling products that sustain
people and the environment, the company said.
Washington – January retail sales of consumer electronics and major appliances
fell 7 percent year over year to $8.5 billion, the U.S. Commerce Department
reported, but rose 1.2 percent from December.
The figures are adjusted
for seasonal variations and holiday and trading-day differences, but not for
price changes.
Unadjusted data told a different story, with sales down
7.6 percent from January 2009 and off by 41 percent from December.
Total
unadjusted U.S. retail sales (excluding car dealerships, gas stations and
restaurants) were up 3.6 percent in January from a year ago, but fell 22.5
percent from December, the Commerce Department said. Seasonally adjusted, total
retail sales rose 0.5 percent from January 2009 and 5.3 percent from
December.
“We continue to see the economy show subtle signs of
improvement,” observed Rosalind Wells, chief economist for the National Retail
Federation (NRF), a trade association. “While the recovery still has a long way
to go, we remain encouraged by the latest retail sales figures.”
