How Can Wal-Mart Negatively Affect The Environment?

When talking about sustainability numerous people associate it with just protecting the environment. Sustainability is far more than going green, but it is a principle that many companies have adopted and have worked persistently to improve over the last several years. Sustainability is defined as the ability to continue a behavior indeterminately, but it also includes improving human life overall. Sustainable development is broken down into three pillars: economic, social, and environmental (Harich & Bangerter, 2014). Economics is the study of how people use resources, which correlates to the goal of sustainable development by using resources to their full potential (Laszlo, C., & Zhexembayeva, N., 2011, p. 60). Economic sustainable development allows companies to give their customers what they want without overusing mutual resources. Social development combines the social world with the physical realm to provide a good quality of life (Benoit, 2010, p. 7). Social sustainability focuses on the well-being of people and their communities. Environmental development, the most recognizable, includes protecting the environment by reducing pollution, recycling, switching of electronic devices when not in use, etc. All three of these pillars make up what is known as sustainable development. In this paper, I researched a company and their involvement in sustainability and how it applies to the

Moreover, they have redesigned their restaurants and background of logo from red to green, which should mean they are more eco-friendly than ever. Besides, Wal-Mart company claimed that they are going to invest $500 million in technologies that will reduce greenhouse gases from the companies’ stores and distribution centres by 20 per cent over the next seven years.

Wal-Mart uses its resources in research since before (2011-2012) for the sole purpose of coming up with new ideas and new ways to sustain itself in the local and global community. Locally it provides electricity in stores from solar panels and wind turbines. “Wal-Mart has taken strides to obtain its sustainability objectives. It has opened two environmentally friendly stores in McKinney, Texas, and Aurora, Colorado.” The company hopes that these experiments will conserve natural resources, save energy, and reduce pollution. In addition, Wal-Mart is attempting to reduce fossil fuel. Its fleet of hybrid trucks is a new technology for going “green (Ferrell, Fraedrich, Ferrell, 2011).” Similarly, Wal-Mart is “Currently working on four main green areas: waste improvement and recycling, natural resources, energy, and social/community impact. Wal-Mart’s long-term goals are to be supplied 100 percent by renewable energy, create zero

Walmart needs to improve this world an even place for individuals. There three fundamental goal-oriented objectives to change Walmart's overall ecological foot shaped impression: 100% renewable energy supplied, make a zero waste, offer items that maintain the world's assets and environment. As per Walmart, without development, expanded interest for structures, products and administrations will strain normal assets, increment squander and lift outflows. These variables contrarily affect our air and water quality, which harms biological communities, jeopardizes our sustenance supply and builds potential for extreme climate fiascos, dry season and starvation. Walmart is planning to decouple business development from ecological effect. By moving

There are many environmental forces that can affect an organizations. One particular organization that has been affected by these environmental forces is Walmart. Some organizations such as Walmart believe in saving people money so they can live better. Walmart first store open in 1962 in Arkansas and now fifty three years later operates all over the world, deals with over 245 million customers, has 11,000 stores in 28 countries, and employee’s 2.2 million employees worldwide. Walmart believes in being innovative and demonstrate leadership through the service they offer customers and communities. Walmart is best known for their low prices and is considered by most the one stop shopping experience. In the following paragraphs we will look

Another problem that Wal-Mart faces is one shared by all people. There is a concern for the environmental well-being of the Earth. There is much press about corporations that have violated safe environmental practices. Their “receipt, transportation, handling, identification, recycling, treatment, storage and disposal” of hazardous material has been under scrutiny. Also their greatest associated environmental concern is urban sprawl. They have counteracted these problems by trying to become a greener company. They are working to reduce greenhouse

One of the major shortcomings of the report is that some of Walmart statements regarding its CSR and sustainability activities differs greatly from what some outside advocacy groups and activists are saying about the company’s CSR efforts. The Food Chain Workers Alliance on June 4th , 2015 published a 120 page report about Walmart called “Walmart at the Crossroads, the Environmental and Labor Impact of Its Food Supply” where it questions a lot of Walmart’s practices. The Food Chain Workers Alliance is an advocacy group with more than 300,000 members who work in all-different stages of the food chain from the farm to the restaurant. Its goal is to develop a more sustainable food system while at the same time fight for the rights of workers.

Many reports have been written documenting the economic and eventual social and environmental degradation which occurs when Wal-Mart “comes to town”.

Perhaps this is giving Walmart a free ride in the media/marketing as being sustainable without any parties doing their due diligence to verify the actual numbers. As Senge explained, perhaps “Walmart is using going green to offset negative press for treatment of its employees” due their recent lawsuit losses and settlements (Senge, 2010, p. 114). Although Walmart should be commended for its sustainability portfolio, I believe the results of their goals need to be looked at from proportional aspect as well as how/where Walmart sources their products.

Walmart offered desirable product variety and unbeatable pricing to the markets of middle America to overtake the retail industry. The first store was opened by Sam Walton in 1962 in Rogers, Arkansas. At the year end of 2005, Walmart had 6,200 Walmart U.S., Walmart International, and Sam’s Club facilities in 15 countries around the world, 1.6 million associates, and $312.4 billion in sales. Looking at GDP to sales, Walmart would be the 20th largest country in the world and the population of associates could make up the 5th largest city in the United States. Walmart became so dominant they outgrew their retail industry competition such as Target, Sears and J.C. Penney to exist in a category all on its own.

The business reasons for adopting sustainability practices are reducing costs, generating new revenue streams, increasing market share, improving external image, reducing compliance and litigation risks, attracting and retaining labor talent, and attracting capitol. All three of these projects relate to several of these reasons. It is important to consider that Walmart has just recently implemented most of their sustainability projects, there has not been enough time

Due to increasing environmental imbalances, it is necessary for firms to achieve competitive advantages in the area of environmental convergence as well. Wal-Mart is putting continuous efforts from a long time for environment sustainability and energy conservation. It also received Aspen Institute Energy and Environment award for Corporate Energy Efficiency in 2009. Here are a few steps that Wal-Mart has taken to encourage environmental sustainability:

CEO Lee Scott announced that Wal-Mart was launching a sweeping business sustainability strategy to dramatically reduce the company 's impact on the global environment and thus become "the most competitive and innovative company in the world." He argued that "being a good steward of the environment and being profitable are not mutually exclusive. They are one and the same." Scott also committed Wal-Mart to three aspirational goals: "To be supplied 100 percent by renewable energy, to create zero waste, and to sell products that sustain our resources and the environment." To meet those goals, Wal-Mart would seek to transform its supply chain, in cooperation with suppliers and environmental nonprofit organizations. In addition, Mr. Scott said that as the largest buyer of manufactured goods in the world, Wal-Mart has the power to encourage its more than 60,000 suppliers to adopt environmentally conscious business practices. "Our most direct impact will be on our suppliers," he said. "If we request that our suppliers use packaging that has less waste or materials that can be recycled, everybody who buys from that manufacturer will end up using that package." As an example of how the company can encourage better packaging, Mr. Scott said he would ensure prime

Environmental sustainability for example is a growing concern and businesses have been identified as a top contributor to the problems of increasing pollution. It has been estimated that “Just 100 companies have been the source of more than 70% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions since 1988”3. Although businesses are largely responsible for this there are also many solutions that businesses can provide. For example, business can modify products and the packaging/manufacturing of these items to use fewer materials, thus creating less waste. A key example of this is Unilever’s “new product design that has cut the carbon footprint of an aerosol spray by 25% per can”4. By doing this, Unilever is helping to reduce the

Success of an environmentally friendly supply chain will require an integration of efforts, such as reduction in transportation requirements, implementation of reverse logistics practices that are in harmony with environmental considerations, and an intuitive infrastructure which reduces adverse measures directly impacting the environment. The United States, being one of the top countries in leading eco-friendly supply chain, has a friendly supply chain aspiration for a company to be successful. Many other countries try to be correct in flourishing possible developments in producing consumer goods that will attract them to a large fairly straight forward company. Manufacturers, retailers, and companies in the hospitality sector are valuable contributors to a greener supply chain surround themselves with thousands of proponents, goods, and services that maintain a successful ecosystem. Wal-Mart is a powerful organization who has developed itself into the world’s largest retailer, eco-friendly, and supply chain company (Bonner, 2010). Becoming an eco-friendly supply chain managerial company, a company must focus their efforts reducing waste to nearly nothing, utilizing 100 percent renewable energy, and selling sustainable products. Apple, Inc, as well as, Wal-Mart, has focused their priorities on creating an eco-friendly supply chain that is competing with multiple factories throughout the world. By developing an eco-friendly