Political Lens: "Walmart: Measuring Just How Green"

Political Lens

Analysis Report

This report analyzes, from a Political Lens, an article published in Business Week Magazine, Sep ’07 – titled “WalMart: Measuring Just How Green” by Pallavi Gogoi and Moira Herbst

Presented By: Ahmed Omara

Political Lens – Analysis Report “Wal-Mart: Measuring Just How Green”

Walmart is the World’s largest department stores chain corporation in terms of revenue, employing in the United States alone about 1.4 million people. A company of this size affecting lives of millions of Americans would very much care about embracing social responsibility for its actions by encouraging a positive impact through its activities on the environment, consumers, employees, communities and other stakeholders, and eliminating practices that may harm them. The company began to ratchet up its green initiatives after being advised by the consulting company McKinsey & Co. that it would help Wal-Mart's image if it took a proactive stance and shaped the debate, "by becoming a role model on a significant societal issue." The company will change business practices, stressing an environmental responsibility and an opportunity to become a corporate leader for green initiatives in the future. Wal-Mart will begin to measure the amount of energy used to manufacture and distribute some of its products, and it will launch a pilot project with certain suppliers to look for new ways to cut their energy use. The retailing giant announced the initiative Sept. 24 in partnership with the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), a nonprofit group supported by institutional shareholders that focuses on climate change and carbon emissions. The initiative scope covered measuring Walmart global supply chain footprint and encouraging its suppliers to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Internally, the key challenge will be in how Walmart balances the green of the environment with the green of its balance sheet. In other words, how far is Walmart willing to go? Walmart hasn't...