Environmental Leader reports that a new study done by the nonprofit Institute for Local Self-Reliance suggests that “Walmart’s heavily-promoted sustainability initiatives have done more to improve the company’s image than to help the environment,” and that “since Walmart unveiled its sustainability campaign in 2005, the number of Americans with an unfavorable view of the company has fallen by nearly half, but its greenhouse gas emissions are increasing rapidly.”
According to the story, “At its current pace, Walmart will need roughly 300 years to reach its goal of using 100 percent renewable energy, ILSR claims. As of 2011, Walmart was deriving only two percent of its U.S. electricity from its wind and solar projects, the report says.
“Walmart’s Greenwash also criticizes the ‘little progress’ the store has made towards its goal of developing the sustainability index for consumer products that it launched in 2009. The chain also regularly donates money to political candidates who ‘consistently vote against the environment,’ according to ILSR.”
Walmart responded to the study by challenging some of its assertions, and said, “Like anything that Walmart pursues related to sustainability, our goals are ambitious. We didn’t necessarily know how we would achieve them, but we believed then and we continue to believe now that it was the right thing to do for our business and the environment.”
According to the story, “At its current pace, Walmart will need roughly 300 years to reach its goal of using 100 percent renewable energy, ILSR claims. As of 2011, Walmart was deriving only two percent of its U.S. electricity from its wind and solar projects, the report says.
“Walmart’s Greenwash also criticizes the ‘little progress’ the store has made towards its goal of developing the sustainability index for consumer products that it launched in 2009. The chain also regularly donates money to political candidates who ‘consistently vote against the environment,’ according to ILSR.”
Walmart responded to the study by challenging some of its assertions, and said, “Like anything that Walmart pursues related to sustainability, our goals are ambitious. We didn’t necessarily know how we would achieve them, but we believed then and we continue to believe now that it was the right thing to do for our business and the environment.”
- KC's View:
