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Walmart, a globally recognized corporation, is known for its substantial revenue, solidifying its position as one of the world's largest companies. With a workforce of 2.1 million associates, it proudly holds the title of the largest global employer, selling groceries and a wide range of general merchandise. Walmart operates over 5,315 stores in the United States and an additional 4,715 international Walmart stores, alongside 600 Sam’s Club membership-only warehouse clubs. Its reach extends across various countries such as Canada, Chile, China, Africa, India, Mexico, and Central America. In addition to its physical stores, Walmart has a significant e-commerce presence, attracting around 240 million weekly visits to both its website and brick-and-mortar location, taking notice in the fact that the United States accounts for 85% of the company’s total sales.

Similar to numerous large corporations, Walmart affects the environment through its operations. For instance, energy consumption, waste generation, transportation emissions, and land use changes are linked to its stores and supply chain activities. The extensive network of stores demands energy for lighting, heating, and cooling, which adds to greenhouse gas emissions. Furthermore, packaging waste from sold products and transportation emissions from shipping goods also pose environmental concerns. Nevertheless, it's important to highlight that Walmart has undertaken several sustainability initiatives over time to lessen its environmental impact. Investing in renewable energy, enhancing energy efficiency in stores and distribution centers, minimizing waste through recycling and diversion programs, and procuring sustainable products. Walmart cares deeply about the impact that it has on the Earth currently and futuristically and therefore has put much effort towards making their company more sustainable. While there is room for Walmart to enhance its environmental performance further, the company has made strides in addressing its environmental footprint.

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Walmart aims to keep growing its profits and revenue while expanding its local business, committing to prioritizing customers in every market it serves. However, it also wants to operate efficiently, adjusting its portfolio to support long-term and sustainable growth. Walmart’s present ESG focuses have been grouped into four main themes: sustainability, opportunity, and ethics and integrity.

Sustainability

Positives

"Walmart’s sustainability efforts include buying materials and goods in a way that thinks about being fair to workers, not harming the environment, and making economically smart choices, combating forced labor, empowering women, fostering inclusive economic opportunities, and offering safer, healthier products. For the environment, they're focused on making product supply chains more sustainable by cutting emissions, preserving nature, and minimizing waste. Walmart is tackling climate change with science-backed goals, like reaching zero emissions in our operations by 2040 and preventing one billion metric tons of emissions in our value chain by 2030 through Project Gigaton™."

Negatives

Walmart's sustainability efforts have faced criticism for various reasons, alongside overshadowing its progress in some areas. The company's scale makes achieving true sustainability challenging, contributing to concerns about its environmental impact. Critics highlight issues such as the carbon footprint of its supply chain, deforestation from sourcing practices, and significant waste generation. Socially, Walmart is criticized for labor practices, raising doubts about its long-term sustainability and ability to attract skilled workers.

Community

Positives

Walmart strives to strengthen communities by prioritizing customer and community needs. This includes offering safer, healthier, and affordable products, providing disaster support, promoting associate volunteerism, offering local grants, and fostering community cohesion.

Negatives

Walmart's growth as a major retail player has brought mixed outcomes for communities. While its affordable prices and accessibility are convenient, there are downsides. Small businesses face tough competition, often leading to closures and economic challenges. Walmart's expansion plans make this issue complex, impacting local economies worldwide. To address there concerns, its important for them to support fair competition, help catering to smaller businesses, and regulate Walmart's dominance.

Ethics and Integrity

Positives

Through ethics and integrity, Walmart strives to foster a culture of trust within their company at all levels, among their associates, customers, and the communities that they serve. Regularly sharing information about their ESG priorities, strategies, and progress on their corporate website.

Negatives

The FCWA found violations in Walmart's supply chain despite the company's public commitments to fair labor and ethical sourcing. Examples of this include exploitation of migrant workers, discriminatory practices by suppliers, and violations of labor laws. Walmart's maritime shipping is also said to contribute to greenhouse gas emissions significantly.

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Through a variety of different topics, Walmart has the already in place efforts that they are working towards to benefit the environment as well as the improvements that they can make to better what they already have in place.

Regeneration

Positives

Walmart cares about the idea behind regeneration. Regeneration is more than just saving resources – it's about restoring and renewing them too. Walmart adopted regenerative practices in farming, forests, and fisheries, aiming for prosperity and fairness for everyone involved, including the waste along the way of making their operations greener by reducing carbon emissions.

Negatives

The FCWA found violations in Walmart's supply chain despite the company's public commitments to fair labor and ethical sourcing. Examples of this include exploitation of migrant workers, discriminatory practices by suppliers, and violations of labor laws. Walmart's maritime shipping is also said to contribute to greenhouse gas emissions significantly.

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Waste

Positives

Walmart is actively engaged in environmental initiatives, particularly focused on reducing plastic, food, and textile waste. Since 2005, Walmart has aimed to achieve zero waste in its operations by 20-25, diverting a significant portion of unsold products from landfills or incineration by 2022. Walmart has donated unsold food to food banks and prioritized three main areas: plastic waste reduction, food waste reduction, and textile waste reduction. In these areas, Walmart invests in innovative solutions, supports research, and collaborates with organizations like The Recycling Partnership and ReFED. These efforts do aline with broader goals of sustainability and environmental responsibility.

Negatives

Walmart has been facing vast amounts of criticism for selling low-quality products with excessive packaging, which leads to environmental waste. There had also been allegations of illegal disposal of toxic items in California landfills tarnishing Walmart's environmental record. Despite Walmart's sustainability commitments, Walmart is said to receive a low sustainability rating due to these ongoing issues.

Climate Change

Positives

Walmart is investing in projects that help save nature and cut down on greenhouse gases. By 2040, they want all their operations worldwide and to have zero emissions without relying on carbon offsets. They are also aiming to use 100% renewable energy to power their buildings by 2035. As well as looking into using eco-friendly refrigerants an switching to electric heating and vehicles, including trucks, by 2040. Since a lot of Walmart's environmental impact comes from its suppliers, they have launched Project Gigaton to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the whole supply chain by 2030.

Negatives

Despite Walmart's announced environmental initiatives in 2005, it has struggled to address its significant impact on climate change. Despite pledges to cut greenhouse gas emissions, Walmart's emissions have increased by 14% since 2005, with only a small portion of its energy coming from renewable sources. Additionally, Walmart does not fully account for major sources of pollution like international shipping and land development in its reports. Its efforts to reduce emissions in its supply chain lack transparency, highlighted by recent accidents in supplier factories. Moreover, hindering efforts to combat climate change. Overall, Walmart's business practices continue to contribute to the climate crisis without accountability (as you can see in the positive parts of each section).