Walmart sustainability research

Walmart isn't necessarily a name a person would think of when they hear “Environmental Advocates in Supply Chain,” but they are. Walmart is very serious in trying to erase their supply chain carbon footprints in more than one way. Walmart environmental sustainability focuses on waste, energy, and products. Walmart's sustainability goals are “to be supplied by 100% renewable energy, to create zero waste, and to sell products that sustain people and the environment” (walmart.com). By taking steps to make not only their company “green”, they are also upping their ante to make their supply chain just as “green.” One of the most unique things Walmart is doing to improve their supply chain, is re-designing their fleets. Walmart is determined to double their fleet efficiency by 2015. To make this goal Walmart has designed a one-of-a-kind prototype that is the latest in their fleet efficiency program. The fleet Walmart has designed offers a lot of firsts, “the trailer is made almost exclusively with carbon fiber, saving around 4,000 pounds, which can then be used to carry more freight” (walmart.com). And that is just the beginning. “It is 20 percent more aerodynamic than current trucks, and its micro-turbine hybrid powertrain can run on a variety of fuels” (Supplychain247.com). These fleets will reduce gas emissions, “deliver more with out driving more” (walmart.com), and Another great thing Walmart has done to “green” their supply chain is to make a Sustainability Index for their suppliers. “It’s Walmart’s most ambitious environmental project ever, and if all goes according to plan, it will change the way all kinds of consumer products — clothes, toys, electronics, food and beverages — are made. The typical Walmart stocks 125,000 to 150,000 products (!), and the environmental and social performance of most companies that make them soon will be rated and ranked…” (Gunther). A Sustainability Index is a checklist of things Walmart expects from their suppliers. They