Latest Headlines
Wal-Mart To Lay Off 300 At Bentonville Headquarters -02.17.10 | Arkansas Business
Walmart, others make money on Oregon’s energy tax credits -02.17.10 | The Oregonian
Former Avon Wal-Mart employees claim discrimination -02.17.10 | Associated Press
Fact Sheets
The Employee Free Choice Act Legislation that will truly make a difference for Wal-Mart workers
Wage & Hour Issues Read how Wal-Mart continually fails to pay every worker for every hour worked
Health Care Wal-Mart's still insures barely over half its employees on the company plan
Always Low Wages Poverty-level wages make life extremely difficult for Wal-Mart's 1.4 million workers
The Environment How Wal-Mart's business model is detrimental for our planet
In his October 2005 speech, Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott outlined a series of environmental sustainability efforts, timelines and benchmarks (PDF) the company would pursue to lessen its footprint on the world's landscape. You can download the PDF here. He defined Wal-Mart's goals as follows:
1. To be supplied 100 percent by renewable energy.
2. To create zero waste.
3. To sell products that sustain our resources and environment.
As Wal-Mart Watch stated in "A Handshake With Sam," Wal-Mart has a moral responsibility to demonstrate sound environmental stewardship in every step of its supply chain. Read more about Wal-Mart's environmental issues and what you can do about them.
Examining Wal-Mart's Environmental Promises
 | It's Not Easy Being Green | |
 |  | Is Wal-Mart Really a "Green" Company? |
 | Sustaining Wal-Mart | |
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Words from Environmental Task Force Members
"As a former employee, I had opportunity to observe a bogus recycling program. Located at both main entrances of the store were clearly marked "recycling bins" for Wal-Mart shopping bags. I took the opportunity to discuss in detail with the persons who emptied these bins exactly what happened to the bags after they retrieved them from the bins. These bags were not recycled, but thrown away. This was nothing but a facade to imply that Wal-Mart is concerned with our environment and participating in a recycling program. This is a small example of Wal-Marts questionable integrity." - Sue in Kansas | ||
Why You Should Care
Wal-Mart, the world’s largest company, has a history of building large stores in environmentally sensitive areas, has been cited by the EPA for Clean Air and Clean Water violations, and is, in its own words, responsible for nearly 250 million tons of greenhouse gases each year.
Recently, Wal-Mart has promised to be an industry leader for environmental sustainability. If Wal-Mart makes good on its promises to use 100% renewable energy and produce zero waste through its supply chain, the positive effects on global warming, the use of toxic chemicals in production and sustainable product sourcing could be tremendous. It is our mission to hold Wal-Mart accountable for its promises and to encourage them to be a morally responsible company. We will be watching.
For more information, make sure you check out our environment research page.
Three Areas to Watch
Wal-Mart must establish firm timelines and benchmarks for each of its sustainability initiatives, accept third-party validation and measurement of its efforts and broaden the definition of sustainability to include wages and workers conditions in three main areas of its operations--Stores, Products, and Supply Chain.
Recently Wal-Mart announced a 5 percent reduction in total packaing over a five year period beginning in 2008, indicating that the company has heard the message that it must define clear and public goals and timetables. We encourage Wal-Mart to go further and do the same for its other value networks.
 | 1. Stores | |
 | 2. Products | |
 | 3. Supply Chain The area where Wal-Mart has the largest environmental impact or "footprint" is in its supply chain. The sourcing, production and shipping of the millions of products that Wal-Mart sells has a tremendous impact on the environment. Click here to learn more about what Wal-Mart must do to meet its commitment to an environmentally sensitive supply chain. |
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