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Efficiency is the mother of environmentalism
Walmart is efficient. It is designed to make profit with low profit margins, so it doesn't waste anything - space, energy, fuel. AND since it is so powerful, it can go into the businesses of its suppliers and force them to be efficient; all so the savings can be passed on to Walmart. See this article: http://tinyurl.com/qkj3vd I think it is awesome when market powers align to produce sustainable results. At least those results will be truly "sustainable" - meaning that the business can sustain them.
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Posted from twitter #SYPost
WM's shelf-space maximization has a serious impact on reduced packaging. Efficiency is part of sustainability.
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buyer power = higher power
Walmart uses its buyer power to force lower costs on its suppliers, who have no choice but to comply--Walmart is usually a primary source of business for them. Oftentimes, these lower costs result from a sacrifice of supplier ethics. As a corporate giant, Walmart must consider the impact it has on the environment and on social equity ALL the way down its supply chain. SO WHAT if Walmart stores "go green," if its SUPPLIERS are sacrificing ethical production for low cost? Sure, Walmart stores can be "green" and inexpensive (props for "customer advocacy"...but efrondt, there are bigger issues at hand). What about the plant in
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hmm....still not convinced of Wal-Marts efforts
According to the International Labor Rights Form ( http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/WalMartsweatshops) workers abroad in Wal-Mart supplier factories face neglect and unfair treatment. In violation of law, workers are routinely forced to work overtime, often 16-18 hours a day. Additionally, Many workers are paid up to 30% below their country’s legal minimum wage and most female workers are denied their legal maternity leave and their benefits. Also, the health clinics that many countries require their factories to have, often do not exist and workers are NOT provided with basic safety equipment, such as dust masks.Labor conditions is another thing to take into consideration when choosing to shop at Wal-Mart and other big-name chain stores. This is something that is essential to the social responsibility of consumers and being aware of what companies select suppliers with just and safe labor conditions.
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Wal-Mart is Negligent
Where do we begin with Wal-Mart? This "environmentally sustainable" company has incurred millions of dollars in fines from environmental agencies in the past decade alone. It has repeatedly contaminated otherwise clean water. Additionally, a large part of Wal-Mart's cost reductions come in the form of unethical labor practices. Name another company that forces its employees to work off the clock - a practice comparable to slavery. Wal-Mart executives ignored numerous warnings that they were violating the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). As a result, they were forced to pay hefty fines for illegally allowing minors to operate machinery and overworking them during the school week. They failed to pay due overtime to many workers. A June 2002 New York Times article revealed that Wal-Mart employees missed over 60,000 breaks and over 15,000 lunches in just one week.
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5?!? Are you kidding me?
I agree that Walmart has some power that they use to make other companies efficient, but somebody rated them a 5 in Environment. Consumer Advocacy, maybe, but not environment. They do some good, they do some bad and they do both on a huge scale. I think a 3 is actually generous.
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Wal-Mart's Trying... But it's still not enough
Okay, so Wal-Mart is trying. They are moving towards a more socially and environmentally responsible supply chain. They offer low prices to consumers. However, that's not going to cut it. They haven't improved the treatment of their workers- paying unfair salaries or not paying them for hours already worked! Wal-Mart needs to realize there is more to social responsibility then being green.
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More facts for thought
In “The Ecology of Walmart” ( http://tiny.cc/XPCU4 ) , Saleem Ali, professor of environmental studies and all around gift to the environment ( http://tiny.cc/FZOvO ) , made three points worth considering:
•“Consider the power that could be exercised by a company that accounts for 10% of China’s entire exports and where 82% of American households have shopped at least once per year.”
•“Finding all consumer products under one roof reduces the need to travel to various destinations and also consolidates energy and resource usage more efficiently.”
•“While Walmart has kept prices low by buying in bulk along product lines, if we start to account for environmental costs the accounting may work out more favorably for local suppliers in some cases.”
While I am no proponent of box stores these made me think.
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What is Walmart doing?
I have to agree with SocialVeritas; Walmart could be doing a lot more than they have. As a corporate bigwig, the little steps they are making towards "going green" are late in the game and pathetic in their appeal to the average Joe. People automatically think that by shopping at Walmart, they are doing something "good," but for who and with what outcome? They protect their own and look out for themselves. Why else would Walmart sell no-name brand TVs that at a ridiculously low price when they know the TVs won't be able to withstand the digital conversion? Simple: they don't care about the consumer, but their own business. How responsible is that?
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Anything but efficient
It's interesting that greenbiz touts Wal-Mart's 'efficient' use of space. Wal-Mart occupies 75,000 acres of space in the United States when you count their stores, distribution centers, and parking lots. At least it did in 2005... and it plans to develop about 60,000 more by 2015. The 117 square miles are developed in anything but an efficient matter. Why not build up instead of sprawl? A big box doesn't seem to be an efficient use of space when you could have two or three stories and underground parking. This issue is particularly relavent with Wal-Mart when their parking lots occupy as much as three times the actual retail space, and have been proven to contribute to water pollution. Wal-Mart sprawl has spurred suburban sprawl, and encouraged millions of Americans to drive significantly more, aggravating the effects of CO2 emissions from tailpipes. (Drivers are driving more). Had retail locations positioned themselves in urban/business centers they could have encouraged mixed-use development and smart growth, but alas, their business model caused extremely ineffecient growth and millions of tons of carbon release from cars and trucks going to and fro from their inelegantly designed and carelessly placed retail locations.
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Major Advocate of Green Business
Wal-Mart's bold goals are a sign of their staunch commitment to being a leader in the green movement. They are investing millions in adopting business practices that are good for the environment, purchasing more organic cotton and locally grown produce for in-state stores than anyone else in the country. Their pledge to reinvent their entire trucking fleet and doubling its efficiency by 2015 is also a major push.
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Hands down leader for customer advocacy
Walmart forces costs lower. They have such market power that they bully suppliers into efficiency and cost cutting and then, amazingly, they pass it on to consumers. Only rich people complain about "the little guy" where Walmart is concerned. In truth, "the little guy" loves Walmart because they deliver value and low prices - throughout the world - on medicine, food, clothes, books and everything else.
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Wal-Mart is putting on a front
It's true that they have have not put in the effort they can/should to go green. Companies much smaller than they have made much more impressive efforts to outfit their infrastructure and supply line with reusable energy. They also spend a lot less money talking about how environmental they are. Wal-Mart has been saying for a very long time that they have goals of redirecting 100% of their waste from landfills, using 100% reusable energy to power their stores, and retrofit their fleets with hybrid parts. When you look at the benefits they give their workers - "we can't afford to give them any more money, we barely make a profit as it is!" it is apparent they have taken the same attitude with changing improving their supply line. Wal-Mart will not spend more than necessary to improve their carbon footpring - look at how much they fought to prevent federal emissions standards, instead stressing that these things are better 'casual'! They will push all the work onto their suppliers - "reduce waste and electric use or we won't stock your merchandise" and then highlight their efforts in their PR buzz. Meanwhile, they have only done enough to transform themselves to get positive attention from the media.
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Not as green as you think
On the contrary, Wal-Mart's 'goals' and 'plans' are little more than public relations stunts. For an organization as massive as, and with the resources of, Wal-Mart, their measures look petty compared to the immediate impact they should be having as a national leader of industry.
Installing solar panels at 18 stores in California out of over 3,300 total in the United States? Doesn't seem to do much for powering their infrastructure with reusable energy to me. Especially considering the solar panels are only supposed to provide 30% of on-site electricity.
Furthermore, they have said that their goal is to use 100% reusable energy in all locations for years. Wal-Mart has some pretty big roofs in sunny places, and a poor fraction have been equipped with solar panels. After this long, this is all they can do to provide reusable energy - they appear reluctant to meet their word. Apparently, they have "bent over backwards" to avoid installing solar at a Wal-Mart location outside Joshua Tree National Park, in the California Desert.
Lastly, despite publicly touting their sustainability aims, they have been a very large supporter of the Cato Institute, a public advocacy group that denies the effects of global warming and has attempted to derail Obama's attempts to take action against climate change. Seems pretty strange that a proponent of environmental measures would do this.
The truth is, Wal-Mart is all about their financial bottom line. They will say they're doing what looks good, while barely scratching the surface of what their "goals" imply they have planned. They will inch along, putting in the effort and money into transforming their business model into carbon-neutral as slow as they can while still putting on green public face.
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Do your homework
Either because Wal-Mart truly has green values or just needed a lot better PR, the company has made many impressive efforts to become a leader in green initiatives. They know that with their size, any steps they take to go green will have massive impact.
1) One of the biggest complaints people have for Wal-Mart is that their massive fleet release billions of tons of greenhouse gases. They have already launched a plan to increase fuel efficiency by 50% in the next six years by incorporating diesel-electric hybrid trucks, more efficient tires and loading schemes for their fleets.
2) Wal-Mart is currently doubling their use of solar panels for California stores, a plan that will be completed by the end of the year.
3) Have made a public goal of recycling or reusing "everything" that comes to their stores.
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Did some HW and still a no..
So although my first post was bashing Walmart I decied that it was not fair because I did not answer your question. So I looked it up and I still believe that although Wal-Mart is claiming to be green and sustainable it just isnt cutting it. Here are soem reasons: Walmarts growth will offset its planned energy savings. Their supercenters use much more energy than other retailers Their truck fleet adds 2.4 extra particulate pollution to the air a day. So doing a quick little search seems to turn up know but what do others thing?
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Walmart sucks
I have not heard much about Wal-Mart's attempts to go green and be a sustainability leader but the wrong they have done in the past are something to not be forgotten. As of 2008 they had more than 80 lawsuits at different stages of the legal process on the fact that they were doing some sketchy business concerning not paying employees all their hours worked ect. This is just unnacceptable! Not only were they just trying to cut costs but they were intentionally clocking people out right after they came to work. Along with this many of the lawsuits claimed that the employees did not recieve lunch and other breaks. Since they don't work most of their employees 40 hours a week most of them are not eligable for health care which is bad because they could just work them a few extra hours but that would cost more. And going on about the low wages thing, since 2004 instead of Wal-Marts wages going up to take care of inflation they have actually gone down by 30cents give or take. But all this doesn't really matter because they have the cheapest stuff on the market and majority of americans don't care and still shop their frequently.
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I have heard a lot of negative talk about Wal-Mart's terrible treatment of employees with low wages, not providing sufficient healthcare, and supporting inhumane treatment of factory workers. What I have been hearing recently, however, is that Wal-Mart is rebranding itself as a sustainability leader - pushing its suppliers to go green or get cut, pledging to divert its waste from landfills, reducing plastic bag waste by 1/3, and doubling the efficiency of its trucking fleet with biodiesels and hybrid drivetrains. Do people on here know if their efforts are enough?
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