Walmart and Ford: The Global Giants that are 'Going Green'

1. Walmart

With Sustainability 360, Walmart CEO Lee Scott undertook a global initiative to minimize the company's environmental footprint, its retailers, suppliers, and customers. As of 2020, Walmart has managed to avert nearly 81% of waste from dump yards and incinerators. They have donated 627 million pounds of food in the United States alone. Nearly 60% of their product packaging is recyclable, reusable or industrially compostable. Walmart has conserved 1.6 million acres of land since 2005 in partnership with Acres for America. Nearly 36% of their operations run on renewable energy. 

Recently, Walmart has announced that they are planning to shift from diesel to Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), which will reduce carbon emissions. They are looking into replacing diesel-powered cooling for their trailers with electric alternatives. Walmart is even aiming to become the first company to utilize liquid Hydrogen to power their truck forklifts, providing 400 miles with each refuel, lower fueling times, and allowing for greater weights to be transported. Walmart has achieved a 50% drop in emissions due to their shift to solar, wind and hydro-power for powering their trucks. 

2. Ford

A whopping 95% of the automobiles produced by Ford in North America are manufactured in factories that recycle scrap metal. They have introduced PACE, or Partnership for a Cleaner Environment, to encourage environmental sensitivity among their suppliers. Via PACE, they have provided tools and resources to minimise their carbon discharges and save 550 million gallons of water. 

Ford has provided their suppliers with an interactive software as a part of PACE. This software provides recommendations for reducing environmental impact after the user has entered the company’s sustainability goals and present environmental footprint. These recommendations range from replacing lightbulbs to adopting renewable forms of energy like solar and wind energy. To commemorate their efforts, Ethisphere has named Ford in their World’s Most Ethical Companies list for eight years straight.

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