Walmart delivers mixed results on mid-decade sustainability goals

Walmart just released results on its own climate and waste goals, and the report is a mixed bag. The retailer cut direct emissions from its stores and operations by 7.5 percent last year, a 24.6 percent drop since 2016. That fell short of its original target of a 35 percent cut by 2025, so Walmart has replaced that pledge with a new goal: a 28 percent reduction by 2031. A big piece of that work involves swapping out refrigeration and heating and cooling equipment for versions that use refrigerants with less climate impact — some upgrades cut emissions from a single store by 80 percent.

Emissions from Walmart's supply chain, which cover everything from suppliers to shipping, actually rose about 3 percent. Walmart no longer has a formal target for these emissions, though it keeps tracking a related program that pushes suppliers to cut greenhouse gases, called Project Gigaton. That effort has now topped its goal, with suppliers avoiding or reducing close to 1.4 billion metric tons of emissions.

Walmart missed the mark on waste and packaging. It aimed to divert 90 percent of its operational waste — things like packaging, carts, and unsold goods — from landfills by 2025, but landed at 84 percent. It also fell well short of a goal to make all its private-label packaging recyclable, reusable, or compostable, hitting only 64 percent, and its use of new plastic actually increased over the past three years instead of dropping.

None of this changes rebates or programs available to homeowners, but it shows how one of the country's largest retailers is faring on its own energy and waste commitments.