Say what you will about Wal-Mart's tendency to crowd out mom-and-pop stores, it's hard to begrudge the company for its sustainability efforts. In the video below, we see that Wal-Mart's deli pizza boxes are part of a closed-loop cycle that uses retailer's boxes to make new ones, saving 40 million gallons of water and 8,600 tons of solid waste.
Wal-Mart's pizza box effort is just a small part of the company's sustainability initiatives. The big box giant is also working on a sustainability index that will rate and help the company choose suppliers based on greenhouse gas emissions, waste reduction targets, and water use. So suppliers that develop closed-loop projects will theoretically get more business from Wal-Mart.
For more info on Wal-Mart's greening, check out these videos from the company's recent Sustainability Milestone Meeting.
[Via EXP]
Related Stories: | Topics:Innovation, Technology, Ethonomics, walmart, deli pizza box, sustainability, big box, closed loop, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. |
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Recent Comments | 6 Total
November 18, 2009 at 12:53pm by Chris Reich
This starts out laughably: Say what you will about Wal-Mart's tendency to crowd out mom-and-pop stores, it's hard to begrudge the company for its sustainability efforts.
You have to be kidding, right? Making a degradable pizza box demonstrates Wal-Mart's commitment to sustainability? What about all the crap they import from China---manufacturing cheaply because of the lack of environmental regulation. Does Big Wally send inspectors to China to be sure they buy only from 'clean and green' manufacturers?
Give me a break with this one. Please. A pizza box?
Chris Reich
www.TeachU.com
November 18, 2009 at 12:58pm by Chris Reich
Maybe FastCompany can run a story tomorrow about how Big Wally's health plan saved the life of one of their 'associates'.
Christopher Reich
www.Innisfreeranch.com
November 18, 2009 at 1:29pm by Noah Robischon
Wal-Mart has made a huge commitment to sustainability. Here's an article you should read: http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/118/working-with-the-enemy.html
Even Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard admitted as much when he visited Fast Company this past June: http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/tom-foster/fosters-blog/can-wal-mart-be-...
November 18, 2009 at 1:58pm by Ariel Schwartz
Hi Chris,
Thanks for your comments. The pizza box was just a small example -- you might also want to check this out: http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/ariel-schwartz/sustainability/what-will-...
Ariel
November 19, 2009 at 12:51pm by Chris Reich
My point is that there is more to sustainability than recycling trash. What about economic sustainability? This big green commitment by Wal-Mart is a deflection of the 1,000s of small businesses and manufacturers Wal-Mart destroyed. And let's look at Big Wallys tactics to keep their associates from unionizing. Where's the story about pay and health care benefits at Wal-Mart?
I'm sorry, but going with an environmentally friendly pizza box and changing a few light bulbs doesn't make up for the human abuse for which Wal-Mart has been known---even to the point of criminal activity as with the 'undocumented' and sub-paid janitorial workers.
I'm glad to see any business make an effort toward reduction of negative environmental impact, but doing what they ought to do in one aspect of the company's operations while neglecting the others doesn't make Wal-Mart laudable.
The economy of greed is gradually pulling the U.S. down and in the retail sector, Wal-Mart is leading the way--- but in the wrong direction. Aren't you disturbed when you see 70 year old greeters at Wal-Mart and senior citizens taking orders at McDondalds? People who lost jobs in their 50's---no, sorry, a pizza box isn't enough for me to throw a parade for Wal-Mart. I look at the whole beast.
Chris Reich
www.TeachU.com
November 23, 2009 at 1:18am by Charlie Weiss
I'm confused -- how is this different from simply recycling cardboard, which we've been doing for at least the last 20 years?