Commercial, Demand Management, Energy Efficiency, Industrial, Solar, Sourcing Renewables, Wind - May 2, 2016
Wal-Mart, toward 100% renewable goal, hits 25% in fiscal 2016
Toward it's goal of being supplied by 100% renewable energy, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. said in its 2016 Global Responsibility Report that it was 25% of the way there.
Offering a status update on a number of previously outlined energy goals, the massive retail company said it has installed or contracted for more than 2 billion kWh of renewable energy from more than 470 projects worldwide. Wal-Mart's goal is to drive the production or procurement of 7 billion kWh of renewable energy globally by the end of 2020, according to the report.
Wal-Mart is one of a growing list of more than 50 companies that have committed to going 100% renewable through the RE100 initiative. The company is regularly listed as a top corporate buyer of wind and solar energy in the U.S.
On its renewable energy goals, Wal-Mart said in its report:
We will continue to focus on accelerating our renewable energy program and that of the industry in a number of ways. This year we completed over 80 new on-site solar and fuel cell renewable energy projects at our facilities in multiple countries and brought a large wind farm online in Texas. We are also working with developers and utilities on new project opportunities in regulated and deregulated markets, and we are engaging with trade and advocacy groups, such as the Corporate Renewable Energy Partnership and RE100. These groups are striving to remove barriers to renewable energy at the state, federal and international levels.
Wal-Mart has also continued efforts to reducing energy demand through energy efficiency, improving refrigeration systems in its stores and maximizing the efficiency of its transportation fleet.
The report also outlines Wal-Marts goals and achievements for reducing emissions in its supply chains, which include eliminating 20 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions from Walmart’s global supply chain by the end of 2015; the company surpassed that goal, reporting a reduction of 35.6 million metric tons.
Additionally, through local sourcing — which leads to not needing to transport products through traditional shipping channels — Wal-Mart said it has been able to save enough energy to power around 400,000 homes for a year.
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