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Walmart is counting on help from its suppliers to cut 20 million metric tons of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from its supply chain by the end of 2015. The American-based retailer estimates that more than 90 percent of its emissions comes from the supply chain, and the remainder from its stores and logistics operations, reports Financial Times. The retailer has established a partnership group that will identify projects to help suppliers cut their energy use and carbon footprint as well as qualify their reductions. The group consists of the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), PricewaterhouseCoopers, ClearCarbon, the Carbon Disclosure Project and the Applied Sustainability Center (ASC) at the University of Arkansas. Walmart wants suppliers to first focus on products with the highest carbon footprint. This means reducing emissions at any stage in the product’s life cycle, which includes the sourcing of raw materials, manufacturing, transportation, end use or end-of-life disposal. Walmart’s Supplier Energy Efficiency Project (SEEP) is also aimed at eliminating emissions from the company’s supply chain, where the retailer oversees energy audits and retrofits at its suppliers’ factories. Under the program, suppliers have reduced GHG emissions by 3,300 metric tons and saved $200,000 in energy costs.
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