Green group says Walmart is not as environmentally friendly as it claims to be

Walmart, one of the biggest businesses in rural America, invests plenty of time and money into campaigns to promote how environmentally friendly they have become. But a report by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance found that the corporation isn't nearly as green as it claims to be, Kate Sheppard reports for the Huffington Post. "The report argues that Walmart's emissions are high enough for it to qualify as one of the biggest polluters in the U.S," and that its "greenhouse gas emissions have continued to grow since 2005, while the percentage of power it draws from renewable sources lags far behind other major corporations."

Walmart's green motto

Wal-Mart's annual greenhouse gas emissions have gone "from 18.9 million metric tons in 2005, to 21.5 million metric tons in 2011," and 20.2 million metric tons in 2012, which critics say can be attributed to a mild winter, Sheppard writes. A Walmart spokesman said "the total square footage of Walmart stores and facilities increased 40 percent and sales increased 44 percent, but its greenhouse gas emissions grew only 10 percent."

Walmart's Carbon Disclosure Project filing for 2012 lists a greenhouse-gas intensity of 45.16 metric tons, which doesn't take into consideration emissions "from shipping containers of merchandise from around the world," and "emissions figures account for clearing land and building new supercenters," Sheppard writes. Walmart is the biggest importer in the U.S and built 1,316 new U.S. stores from 2005 to 2012. "The report also argues that Walmart trails other major corporations when it comes to the percentage of power it draws from from renewable sources." (Read more)