WalMart's Earth Month Efforts Circle the Globe

Retailer unveils eco friendly products, mobilizes workforce and engages global communities

WalMart is celebrating global Earth Month by demonstrating its commitment to a greener environment around the world. WalMart will unveil a number of earth friendly products, partner with local governments and NGOs, sponsor community activities and engage its 2.2 million associates worldwide in promoting a cleaner, safer, healthier, environment.

According to Doug McMillon, president and CEO of Wal-Mart International, “Sustainability is a part of the everyday lives of associates who work at our Supercenters, Bodegas, Todo Dias, Sam’s Clubs and offices across the around the world. We know we can make the greatest impact on our communities by offering eco friendly products and by supporting sustainable projects that are important to our customers.”

Throughout Earth Month, WalMart is unveiling numerous sustainable products around the world including the following:

* In India, Easy Day* stores launched flip flops made of 100-percent recyclable materials.
* In China, WalMart is offering a Mainstays compressed pillow, resulting in savings in transportation costs and shelf space.
* WalMart Puerto Rico launched fashionable, reusable shopping bags with artwork from the Ponce Art Museum and is donating proceeds from the sales of the bag to the museum.
* In partnership with Unilever, WalMart Argentina also launched a special Earth Month edition reusable shopping bag.
* WalMart Canada announced its move to compaction in powdered laundry detergent.

WalMart is partnering with communities around the world to host environmentally friendly activities throughout the month:

* In Japan, Seiyu is co-sponsoring “Earth Day Orange Project” to regenerate abandoned tangerine farms. Seiyu customers have been invited to fruit picking tours at tangerine farms and the juice made from the harvested tangerines will be sold at Earth Day Tokyo 2009 later this month.
* In the United States, WalMart‘s “Earth Day, Every Day” School Challenge will recognize schools and student bodies across the nation that are taking active strides to create a greener, healthier planet.
* In China, WalMart and P&G partnered with NGO, China Green Foundation, on “One Million WalMart Customers for a Greener China” project to plant trees.

In all of the markets in which WalMart does business, the company is partnering with governments at all levels to continue to discuss ways to improve the environment. WalMart Mexico will host store events with government officials to educate them on WalMart’s sustainability initiatives. Puerto Rico held a sustainability forum with government agencies, suppliers, media, NGOs and professors, creating a multisector sustainability alliance to establish sustainability goals for Puerto Rico.

Through its stores and associates, WalMart also supported Earth Month. In China, Argentina, Canada and Brazil, WalMart celebrated Earth Hour by reducing sales floor lighting and external store lights. Associates also made voluntary pledges to cut lighting at their homes. This month, WalMart expanded its Personal Sustainability Projects (PSP) program, a voluntary associate-driven program, to Central America and Japan.

“Earth Month is just one month out of 12 that Wal-Mart takes sustainability very seriously around the world,” said McMillon. “WalMart’s global environmental goals are simple and straightforward: We want to be supplied 100 percent by renewable energy; to create zero waste; and to sell products that sustain our resources and the environment.”

* In India, Easy Day retail locations are owned and operated by Bharti Retail. WalMart India provides technical support for these stores through a franchise agreement.