Some good news from the behemoth of Bentonville:
“Walmart has reported that it has delivered a 20 percent cut in greenhouse gas emissions since 2005, beating its target one year ahead of schedule. The company's 2011 figures show a 20.02 percent decrease in emissions from the Walmart stores, Sam's Clubs and distribution centers that existed in 2005, Bloomberg reported, surpassing the goal that had been set for 2012.”
While on the surface this is good news, the reality underscores the fundamentally unsustainable nature of Walmart’s business model (and, by extension, our economic system):
“However, Walmart's overall emissions have risen since 2005 as a result of the continued global expansion of the retail giant. Emissions totaled 22 million tons in 2010, the most recent year for which data exists. This is exactly the amount of emissions Walmart is looking to cut from its supply chain by 2015.”
Equally concerning is that, although Walmart is the “fifth biggest user of clean energy in the U.S.,” it still only uses “about 4 percent green energy.” This means that the fifth biggest user of renewable energy in the U.S. still gets 96% of its energy from carbon-based sources.
Have a good weekend
David
The library of CSR Newsletters are archived at: http://strategiccsr-sage.blogspot.com/
Walmart beats emissions goal a year early
By BusinessGreen Staff
March 11, 2013
GreenBiz.com
