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September 2006 - Strategy Magazine
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Going green
How Wal-Mart and other retailers are saving the planet while greening their bottom line

by Lisa D'Innocenzo
page 30

When a former U.S. presidential candidate narrates a documentary espousing the need to reverse the effects of global climate change - and Oprah starts informing viewers how to live a more eco-friendly existence - it becomes clear that the environment is no longer a fringe concern but increasingly a mass fixation.

As interest in going green proliferates, many companies have recently adopted and are communicating environmental policies in the hope of attracting consumers. They're also anxious to deflect the heightened scrutiny of activists and avoid getting blogged on. The benefits - beyond avoiding bad press - include cost cutting, motivating employees and winning over eco-conscious consumers.

That's what Wal-Mart hopes to achieve with its current environmental strategy. U.S. CEO Lee Scott wants the chain to be greener than green by increasing the efficiency of Wal-Mart's vehicle fleet, and reducing energy use and solid waste from U.S. stores. The Bentonville, Ark.-based retailer also plans to invest US$500 million in sustainability projects, and increase its offerings of

eco-friendly products. It's already become the largest global purchaser of organic cotton and organic milk.

Here in Canada, says Kevin Groh, Wal-Mart's Mississauga, Ont.-based director of corporate affairs, the retailer is mirroring the U.S. strategy and is focused on improving its environmental record in three areas: waste reduction, energy management, and the introduction of green products, as determined by its corporate social responsibility task force.

Groh says it has become absolutely necessary for companies to clean up their act, because of increasing consumer demand. "We are being asked more questions, customers are making more requests for green products and, as a retailer, there are many things we can control in our business that provide immediate payback. The customer expectation isn't going away, it's growing."

Thus, Wal-Mart Canada is on track to reduce waste by 10% this year, and hopes to improve that number to 30% in five years. In the future, it aims to become a zero-waste company, according to Groh. On the energy management side, this summer the stores turned their air conditioning down and dimmed lighting, a fact that was communicated via posters on-site.

Meanwhile, in B.C., 25% of the chain's locations run on green power and in Ontario, four stores use energy supplied by green electricity provider Bullfrog Power. Groh says that these areas were chosen because of availability, but that the retailer is hoping to eventually build a national commitment to green power. Meanwhile, the firm plans to erect a sustainable retail location in Vancouver that "comes at a tremendous cost to us, but is also a huge opportunity to study sustainable features in a retail environment, that can ultimately be rolled out to some or all of our stores."

As for new products, Wal-Mart Canada will be launching organic baby clothing in the fall, and plans to reach out to more eco-friendly producers, as well as cut back on packaging for its private label goods. A request to do the same will also be put out to suppliers in the future. Then there's Green Grants, the retailer's two-year old program to donate green space to communities across Canada in order to offset its own use of land. Run through an organization called Evergreen, this project too is advertised in stores.

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