Walmart’s efforts to green its supply chain are about to get much more effective. Sustainability will now play a role in its merchants’ performance reviews, which help determine pay raises and potential for future promotion. This is a big deal: these merchants are high-level managers responsible for multibillion-dollar buying decisions. They’re the people who determine which products appear on the shelves of the world’s largest retailer.
Tags: · Andrew Winston, greener retail practices, OtherVoicesBlog, rating products for sustainability, sustainability, Walmart
A growing number of major U.S. companies, led by the nation’s largest big-box retailers, are installing rooftop solar power systems to help cut energy costs and increase profits, a new report says. According to the report, released by the Solar Energ…
Tags: · Costco, energy efficiency, Greener Businesses, Kohl's, renewables, SEIA, solar installations, Solar Power, Walmart
At the recent GreenBiz Forum in New York, I was surprised by an on-stage interview with Fred Bedore, an executive from Walmart. I’ve followed the greening of the retail giant fairly closely for years, so I wasn’t expecting a lot of new information from Bedore, Walmart’s Senior Director of Business Strategy and Sustainability.
Tags: · Andrew Winston, OtherVoicesBlog, Renewable Energy, Solar Power, sustainability, Walmart
How green is your big box store when it comes to school supplies?
Not very — at least for some of the most popular big back-to-school retailers. Some carry green products, but not in the back-to-school category. Others carry green products, but they’re online and not necessarily available on store shelves. And one store’s definition of “eco-friendly” may be a far cry from what you’re looking for.
Tags: · back to school supplies, eco-friendly back-to-school supplies, green back-to-school supplies, major retailers eco-friendly, major retailers green school supplies, Office Depot, Office Depot eco-friendly school supplies, Office Depot green school supplies, Office Max, Office Max eco-friendly back to school supplies, Office Max green back-to-school supplies, School supplies, Staples, Staples eco-friendly school supplies, Staples green school supplies, Target, Target eco-friendly school supplies, Target green back-to-school supplies, Walmart, Walmart eco-friendly school supplies, Walmart green school supplies
Walmart and the Walmart Foundation today announced a $2 billion cash and in-kind commitment to help end hunger in America. Calling its five-year initiative “Fighting Hunger Together,” the world’s largest retailer said it would donate more than 1.1 billion pounds of food from Walmart stores, distribution centers and Sam’s Club locations, valued at $1.75 billion.
Tags: · Fighting Hunger Together, summer feeding program, Walmart, Walmart Foundation gifts
From Green Right Now Reports
Greenpeace released its fourth seafood “sustainability scorecard” today, which showed that the supermarket chain Target has moved up from fourth place to receive the top ranking.
Wegmans, last year’s winner for best seafood sustainability practices, inched down to second place. Whole Foods Markets remained at third place.
Safeway and Ahold USA (Stop and Shop and Giant stores) rounded out the top five stores in the rankings, which rate the stores based on how well they are monitoring the seafood they sell to keep threatened and over-fished species off the market.
Tags: · Ahold seafood, Aldi, AP, Central Market, Costco, Delhaise, Giant grocery, Greenpeace rankings for seafood sustainability, H.E.B., Harris Teeter seafood, Kroger, market seafood, Meijer, Price CHopper, Publix, Safeway seafood, seafood rankings, supermarket chains that follow seafood sustainability p, sustainable seafood, Target seafood, Trader Joe's, Walmart, Wegmans seafood, Whole Foods Markets seafood, Winn Dixie
By Barbara Kessler
Green Right Now
Walmart announced a plan to reduce carbon emissions across its global supply chain today, saying it intends to shave 20 million metric tons off its greenhouse gas emissions through 2015.
Walmart CEO Mike Duke annoucing carbon reduction goals
Tags: · business transparency, Carbon Emissions, Carbon footprint, carbon reductions, Greenhouse Gases, pollution, retailers. product life cycle, sustainability, Walmart
From Green Right Now Reports
Plastics Color Corporation has launched a new line of color concentrates partially made with post-consumer and industrial plastic content, providing manufacturers with a way to meet recycled material requirements and trim their use of valuable natural resources.
The recycled colorants are offered in a variety of resin types and wide range of colors. PCC said the recycled content of the concentrate formulations range from 25 percent to 82 percent, depending on the color. The new color concentrates can be used for a variety of applications, including playground equipment, construction material, furniture, pallets, packaging and house wares.
Tags: · Plastics Color Corporation, Walmart
Green Right Now Reports
Making good on it’s “live better” motto, Walmart has just completed three more solar projects in the Los Angeles area, as it works toward adding solar installations to at least 10 and possibly as many as 20 Walmart facilities in California in 2010.
The projects are part of the mega store’s solar initiative announced last Earth Day, which aims to save operating costs and promote renewable energy.
“Walmart’s effort to expand and accelerate its solar power initiative program here in California demonstrates their commitment to sustainability. These kinds of projects create green jobs, reduce costs for businesses by lowering power bills, and protect the environment,” said Mary D. Nichols, Chairman of the California Air Resources Board in a press release.
Tags: · California, California Air Resources Board, Solar Power, Walmart
By Melissa Segrest
Green Right Now
A robin may be the mascot for the Red Robin restaurant chain, but chickens are the birds getting a big break from the company.
Red Robin Gourmet Burgers has more than 300 company-owned restaurants, and they are swiftly moving away from the use of eggs produced by hens that live in torturous conditions at factory farms across the country.
Photo: Humane Society of the United States
Right now, about one-third of the eggs in the Red Robin supply chain are “cage-free,” and they intend to have 100 percent of the eggs they serve come from cage-free hens by 2010, the company says.
Tags: · battery cage eggs, battery cages, Ben & Jerry's, Burger King, cage-free chickens, cage-free eggs, Denny's, factory farms, gestational crates, group housing, Hardee's Carl's Jr., Humane Society of the United States, McDonalds, Quiznos, Red Robin, Trader Joe's, veal crates, Walmart, Wendy's, Whole Foods, Wolfgang Puck
By Laura Elizabeth May
Green Right Now
Earth Day is just around the corner, and the easiest way to show your support is by what you wear. Many different retailers have put out Earth Day t-shirts. Just remember you need time for shipping, so order soon.
Here is a list of s
ome Earth Day t-shirts:
Tags: · Disney Store, Earth Day Network, Earth Day t-shirts, Kmart, Old Navy, Walmart
Barbara Kessler
Andrew Winston
Danielle Nierenberg
Anthony Swift