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Wal-Mart: “We Are Not Green”

080319_walmartceo.jpgLee Scott Jr. has earned a reputation as something of an environmental guru for actions he has taken over the past few years in getting Wal-Mart Stores Inc. to green up its act. But this morning at the ECO:nomics conference in California, the president and CEO of the retail giant took some attendees aback by flatly declaring: “We are not green.” Mr. Scott was actually being candid when a questioner asked how he could reconcile why Wal-Mart’s carbon emissions were continuing to grow despite its much-publicized efforts to reduce its carbon footprint. He said Wal-Mart is trying, but it also needs to grow at the same time. In fact, Mr. Scott said, “I haven’t a clue,” when asked when he expected the company to meet his stated goal of having zero waste and 100% renewable energy over time.He did say Wal-Mart is making great strides. Among other steps, he said the company is working with its thousands of suppliers to reduce the amount of cardboard and other plastic packaging in its products. The company is also looking into ways to reduce the amount of plastic in bottled water, he said. The impetus for the company in doing all this isn’t just to please environmentalists, he said, but more to save money. “It really is about how you take cost out, which is waste,” he said. The savings by taking out wasted material helps keep prices low for Wal-Mart’s customers, many of whom live paycheck to paycheck. Indeed, Mr. Scott — in remarks to reporters after his talk — said the current economic slump is prodding Wal-Mart even more to undertake its waste-reduction program. “When is a better time?,” he said. Image source: wsj.com. > Continue.

News selected by Covalence | Country: USA, China | Company: Wal-Mart | Source: Environmental Capital / WSJ.com

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