7 April, 2008 – Wal-Mart has called a meeting of up to 1,000 of its Chinese suppliers in a bid to reduce the carbon footprint of its huge operations in the country.
The company, which is the world’s largest retailer, is attempting to bring its global push to China to curb the environmental impact of its massive supply chain in the country. The green conference is due to be staged in October.
Wal-Mart is believed to account for almost a third of all foreign buying in China and some US$30 billion in imports – nearly 10% of the entire US total.
Wal-Mart Chief Executive Lee Scott is reported to have said the company was very ambitious about what could be accomplished in China.
He said: “. “I’m very confident that we are going to see in China more progress than any of us has imagined. Part of it is... because the Chinese government has just now really got on the sustainability process as far as understanding what it is going to mean for them in the long term. And they’re being really aggressive.”
Wal-Mart launched its drive for more environmentally-friendly operations in 2005. Recently, non-profit group Environmental Defense, which is working with the retail giant, signed an accord with the China Association of Small and Medium Enterprises to give technical advice on environmental issues. Many of CASME’s 5,000 members are suppliers to Wal-Mart.