Walmart said it will eliminate its carbon footprint by 2040 — but not for its supply chain, which makes up the bulk of its emissions

Doug McMillen Walmart CEO — Doug McMillon, Walmart's CEO.
Adam Jeffery/CNBC/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images

Walmart aims to reduce its global emissions to zero by 2040, the company announced on Monday.
It will achieve this by using 100% renewable energy by 2035, as well as using electric vehicles and more eco-friendly cooling and heating systems across its sites by 2040.
However, the target does not apply to emissions from its supply chain, which dwarf its direct emissions.
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Walmart aims to reduce its global emissions to zero by 2040, the retail giant announced on Monday — but the goal does not apply to emissions from its supply chain, which dwarf its direct carbon footprint.

The goal covers "scope-one emissions," from operations Walmart owns or directly controls, and "scope-two emissions," which cover its indirect emissions from sources such as electricity and heating.

The target excludes "scope-three emissions," which are all other indirect emissions the company incurs, including in its supply chain. Bloomberg estimated that these emissions make up 95% of Walmart's carbon footprint.

In 2017 it launched Project Gigaton, which aims to reduce these scope-three emissions.

Walmart said Monday it will achieve its zero target without carbon-offsets — measures that reduce carbon emissions in some areas to compensate for higher carbon emissions in others.

The retail giant said it will hit its target by powering its facilities with 100% renewable energy by 2035. Currently, around 29% of its energy is from renewable sources, it said.

By 2040 it will also use electric vehicles with zero emissions, and adopt more environmentally friendly systems for cooling and heating across its sites.

Walmart also said it will protect, manage, or restore at least 50 million acres of land and one million square miles of ocean by 2030. The company said it has conserved almost 1.5 million acres of land since 2005 as part of a partnership with Acres for America, at an average rate of just under 100,000 acres a year.

Doug McMillon, Walmart's CEO, said: "The commitments we're making today not only aim to decarbonize Walmart's global operations, they also put us on the path to becoming a regenerative company – one that works to restore, renew and replenish in addition to preserving our planet, and encourages others to do the same."

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