So far, 2010 hasn’t been a banner year for bringing climate change facts and science to the public. The Copenhagen conference on climate change didn’t amount to much, climate critics seem to be garnishing a lot of attention and the US senate is very slowly and very tentatively discussing climate change. Is anyone shaking the foundations on global warming initiatives these days? You might be surprised to find out the answer, as there has actually been a seismic shift, but this time it’s coming from an unexpected source – Walmart!
Do you shop at Walmart? According to statistics, more than 1/3 of all Americans shop at Walmart every other week. Walmart’s influence on consumers and suppliers in the US and around the world is huge. And Walmart had decided to use its influence to fight the battle against global warming and climate change. Last week, as part of a five-year program in conjunction with the Environmental Defense Fund,
Walmart announced a goal of eliminating 20 million metric tons of greenhouse gasses from its supply change by 2015. This is like taking 3.8 MILLION cars off the road for a year; saving 2 BILLION gallons of gas, or growing 500 MILLION trees from seedlings for 10 years!
How is this going to happen? What’s the plan? Well, its multi dimensional, and involves both things Walmart will do itself, and steps it will ask its suppliers to take. This is where there is the most “bang for 
the buck” so to speak, as over 100,000 suppliers to Walmart will be asked to reduce their carbon footprint. This includes small as well as large suppliers, including giants like Proctor & Gamble, Johnson & Johnson and Colgate-Palmolive. Changes in products sold by these companies can have a ripple effect on consumers buying and consumption habits.
According to Mike Duke, President and CEO of Walmart: “Energy efficiency and carbon reduction are central issue in the world today…Walmart has 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.”
So where and how will you as the consumer see these changes? You will begin by seeing less packaging, smaller sized products, and concentrated formulas in things like cleaning supplies and beauty products. Education programs will be more noticeable in and on products, ie. “wash in cold water” tags on garments, recycle packaging, etc. You will be able to buy more products that are sourced from closer to your particular store, resulting in a reduction in the energy required to get those products there. Little changes that will add up to big changes worldwide; these changes will show up on Walmart’s supplier’s products, not only in Walmart, but in other stores as well – the ripple effect. As these Walmart products change, so to will other suppliers products, even if they aren’t sold in Walmart.
In addition, Walmart itself will look at how it can increase its efficiency in transportation and in the
construction and operations of its stores. Not only will these changes bring about savings to the environment, but they will also result in significant costs savings for Walmart on things like energy use, where costs on non-renewable energy sources are and will continue to creep up! Stay tuned, keep your eyes open and send us an e-mail when you notice changes from some of your favorite suppliers!
