At any company, meeting sustainability goals is a collaborative effort. It involves the dedication of tens, hundreds, even thousands of people who are committed to continually improving sustainability efforts in all facets of the company – often when it’s not even part of their day-to-day responsibilities.
At Walmart, we try to bring our passionate and knowledgeable associates together through Sustainability Value Networks (SVNs), which in turn help us integrate sustainability into all parts of our business. And as we have learned more about how we can rely on these networks, we have made SVNs an increasingly important part of our overall sustainability strategy. Not only do they bring together leaders from Walmart, they also give us the opportunity to collaborate with our supplier companies, academia, government, and NGOs on sustainability issues. Together, we can explore challenges and develop solutions to benefit our business, as well as our local and global communities.
In the process, we’ve found more ways to increase energy efficiency, reduce waste, and increase the introduction of environmentally preferred products. And as a result, we have been lucky enough to receive the following accolades over the past few months:
- The #41 spot on Newsweek’s fourth-annual Green Rankings®, which assess the sustainability efforts of the 500 biggest publicly traded companies in America, up 11 spots from last year.
- Topped the Solar Energy Industries Association’s list of commercial solar customers. Strengthening our renewable energy efforts is something we have worked hard to do – especially over the past year.An Epoca Green Company recognition in the service sector from Epoca magazine in Brazil. The award is given to companies with climate change best practices and pro-environment initiatives considering aspects such as water consumption, recycling, biodiversity, involvement of stakeholders such as associates, customers, and supply chain.
- Walmart de México y Centroamérica was named the Greenest Company in Mexico by prominent business magazine Poder. The ranking measured the reduction of carbon emissions, water savings, consumption of energy and gas, among others.
- Walmart Canada has received the Greening of the Supply Chain Award from the Canadian Association of Importers and Exporters for greater efficiency in its transportation network.
While we are extremely honored by these recognitions, we know there is still more we can do. As we continue to work toward our sustainability goals, we are committed to sharing our progress, our experiences, and the lessons we learn with you here, and on @WalmartGreen.
