Environment » 2008 - 2009 Significant Developments

2008 - 2009 Significant Developments

  • January 23, 2008 Walmart U.S. opens the first of four second-generation, high-efficiency prototype stores, which are estimated to use 25 percent less energy than the baseline Walmart supercenter.
  • February 1, 2008 Walmart officially puts the packaging scorecard into use in the U.S. to rate suppliers on their progress toward developing sustainable packaging.
  • February 26, 2008 Wal-Mart partners with the Cleantech Group to launch the Cleantech Accelerator Project, a Web-based innovation tool designed to help Wal-Mart identify new opportunities in environmental sustainability.
  • February 26, 2008 Walmart partners with the National Governors Association to help state capitols improve energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gases in the "Greening State Capitols" program.
  • March 18, 2008 Walmart supercenter introduces its Western climate-specific, high-efficiency prototype store in Las Vegas that is expected to use up to 45 percent less energy than the baseline Walmart supercenter.
  • March 25, 2008 Wal-Mart Brazil and Conservation International sign an agreement to fund protection and sustainable management of more than 412,000 hectares (1.01 million acres) of forest in the Brazilian Amazon.
  • April 1, 2008 Walmart U.S. launches its first "Earth Month" in-store marketing campaign designed to educate Walmart shoppers on environmentally preferable products sold at Walmart stores and Sam's Club.
  • April 1, 2008 Walmart U.S. launches exclusive Sam's Choice line of organic, Fair Trade and Rainforest Alliance Certified coffees.
  • April 21, 2008 University of Michigan students win the first Wal-Mart Better Living Business Plan Challenge for their idea to make biodiesel from a non-food crop.
  • April 28, 2008 Sam's Club launches an online program to help members recycle their used electronics.
  • May 2, 2008 Wal-Mart de Mexico opens Plaza Ecológica Ciudad Jardin, a state-of-the-art sustainable mall built on a former waste dump.
  • May 12, 2008 Wal-Mart Canada announces that it will phase out PVC plastic packaging in its energy-saving light bulb category and replace it with more environmentally preferable cardboard packaging.
  • May 29, 2008 Walmart U.S. completes goal to sell only concentrated liquid laundry detergent in the U.S.
  • July 14, 2008 Wal-Mart joins the World Wildlife Fund's (WWF) Global Forest and Trade Network to phase out unwanted wood sources from its supply chain.
  • July 15, 2008 New, fully-traceable Love, Earth jewelry line launches exclusively at Walmart U.S. stores and Sam's Club locations.
  • September 25, 2008 Wal-Mart China opens its new Wangjing Supercenter, which is expected to use up to 23 percent less energy than the 2005 baseline store.
  • September 25, 2008 Wal-Mart commits to cut global plastic shopping bag waste by one-third by 2013 at the 2008 Clinton Global Initiative.
  • October 22, 2008 Wal-Mart announces responsible sourcing goals at its China Summit in Beijing. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the China National Forestry Industry Association to share information and collaborate on environmental sustainable policies and practices, including forestry certification. Additionally, Wal-Mart China signed an MOU with the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology to collaborate on sustainable development.
  • October 27, 2008 ASDA opens its second low-carbon store in Bootle, Liverpool. The store is designed to be 40 percent more energy efficient than a standard ASDA store.
  • November 20, 2008 Walmart U.S. commits to purchasing renewable wind power in Texas amounting to the equivalent of the annual electricity usage of more than 20,000 average American homes.
  • January 13, 2009 Wal-Mart partners with the World Environment Center to increase cleaner production and energy-efficient practices in El Salvador and Guatemala.
  • January 16, 2009 Wal-Mart Canada opens its first environmental demonstration store in Burlington, Ontario.
  • January 20, 2009 Wal-Mart Transportation announces that it has surpassed its goal to improve fleet efficiency by 2008.
  • January 26, 2009 Wal-Mart commits to eliminating phosphates in all detergents carried in its stores throughout the Americas region by 70 percent by 2011.