The Green Room

Walmart launches Sustainability Hub

By Robert Kaplan on January 9, 2013 Leave a comment

Walmart Green Room interviewed Rob Kaplan, senior manager of sustainability, to learn about the Sustainability Hub and Walmart’s goal to cut 20 million metric tons of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2015.

Green Room: What is the Sustainability Hub and who is it for?

Rob Kaplan: The Sustainability Hub is an online tool for Walmart suppliers and partners to learn, connect, inspire and drive sustainability through collaboration. It’s a place to share success stories and best practices. For example, suppliers who have reduced their carbon footprints through facility, product, or company-wide innovations can get credit for their efforts as contributing to our 20MMT goal.

The Walmart Sustainability Hub

GR: The Sustainability Hub was developed in response to a goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Can you explain the goal and what progress you’ve made so far?

RK: In February 2010, Walmart committed to eliminate 20 million metric tons of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from our supply chain by 2015 – the same as taking more than 3.8 million cars off the road for a year. GHG Innovation contributes directly to Walmart’s business model and future-proofs our supply chain – like crime scene investigators, we follow GHG hotspots and clues to deliver cost efficiencies and sales growth.

We are on track with our projections to achieve the goal and we’re developing partnerships with key suppliers to curb greenhouse gas emissions throughout the life cycle of the products we sell. We manage a portfolio of more than a dozen innovation projects reaching every step in the supply chain, including sourcing raw materials, processing and production.

GR: What has been the response from suppliers and partners? What insights have you gathered so far?

RK: For the most part, suppliers and partners are excited about the opportunity to communicate their sustainability innovation success stories directly to the Walmart sustainability office. There is definitely some trepidation about what is the right level of information to share with their customers, but we commit to confidentiality and will directly clear any information sharing with the supplier.

GR: Besides the direct result of reducing GHGs, what do you hope the project will achieve?

RK: We hope to open communication and collaboration channels with our supply chain to identify and share what’s working in sustainability innovation. We know there are pre-competitive opportunities out there that create shared value for our partners. We just need to hear about them.

GR: What’s the next big project you’re working on?

RK: We are focusing our resources and attention on the game-changers – sustainability innovations that improve efficiency of entire systems. For example, we are looking for pathways to improve the supply and demand for recycled-content plastics, which could affect almost the packaging of products in nearly every aisle of Walmart.

GR: On a personal level, why is sustainability important to you?

RK: Our environment is rapidly changing. As the world’s population grows to 9 billion people and extreme weather becomes the norm, I am committed to ensuring we leave incredible opportunities for our children to be able to succeed and support themselves.

GR: Associates at Walmart are encouraged to develop an individual sustainability plan. What’s part of your plan?

RK: My family and I cook a vegetarian meal at least once a week – it’s healthy and improves our environmental footprint.