Scott sets out Sustainability plan
The world's largest retailer Wal-Mart has unveiled plans for Sustainability 360, a company-wide campaign to reduce its impact on the environment.

Wal-Mart president and chief executive officer Lee Scott revealed his plans at the Prince of Wales's Business and Environment programme.

He said: 'Sustainability 360 takes in our entire company - our customer base, our supplier base, our associates, the products on our shelves and the communities we serve. We believe every business can look at sustainability in this way and, in light of present environmental trends, we believe they will soon.'

Scott emphasised that this was not a PR stunt and that the group's actions in the coming years would prove this.

Scott also unveiled plans to introduce Global Innovation Projects, comprising environmental challenges for associates and suppliers to overcome. He said: 'What if we worked with our suppliers to take non-renewable energy off our shelves and out of the lives of our customers? We could create metrics and share best practices so that our suppliers could make products that rely less and less on carbon-based energy.'

Scott also highlighted how initiatives at Wal-Mart's UK operation Asda - such as a 25 per cent reduction in packaging - have paved the way for company-wide schemes. He introduced the environmental focus in 2005, when he set out a green agenda for Asda. Since then, Tesco and Marks & Spencer have revealed similar plans.

Wal-Mart operates 7,000 stores in 14 countries and employs 1.8 million staff.

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