Wal-Mart seeks to cut energy use

NEW YORK, Sept. 24 (UPI) -- U.S. retail giant Wal-Mart Stores Inc. said Monday it would seek to find ways of cutting the energy used to create products throughout its supply chain.

The Bentonville, Ark., retailer said it would measure energy use along the entire supply chain for seven product categories -- DVDs, toothpaste, soap, milk, beer, vacuum cleaners and soft drinks -- and then "initiate a pilot (program) with a group of suppliers to look for new and innovative ways to make the entire process more energy efficient."

Wal-Mart chose those categories "because they are ordinary products that customers commonly use," it said.

The program, in cooperation with New York's Carbon Disclosure Project, "will not only help protect the environment but save people money at the same time," Executive Vice President and Chief Merchandising Officer John Fleming said.

CDP Chief Executive Officer Paul Dickinson called the Wal-Mart partnership "a very significant milestone in corporate action to mitigate climate change."

"By engaging its supply chain in the CDP process, Wal-Mart will encourage its suppliers to measure and manage their greenhouse-gas emissions, and ultimately reduce the total carbon footprint of Wal-Mart's indirect emissions," he said.