Walmart sustainability head talks climate change, supply chain strategy

The coronavirus has slammed the retail sector and caused many companies to go out of business. But the pandemic has been a catalyst for growth at Walmart Inc., one of the world's largest retailers. The company's e-commerce sales jumped 97% in the second quarter as consumers hibernated at home and relied increasingly on online shopping. That growth also means an expanding carbon footprint.

In this special Climate Week episode of ESG Insider, an S&P Global podcast, we talk to Walmart’s chief sustainability officer, Kathleen McLaughlin. She says the company is making significant strides toward the goals of Project Gigaton, its initiative to eliminate 1 billion metric tons of greenhouse gases by 2030. Walmart has enlisted more than 2,300 of its suppliers, including Unilever, Johnson & Johnson and Fruit of the Loom, to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

"Our goal is to rewire the way that supply chains function so that the production of the products that all of use every day is actually sustainable," McLaughlin tells ESG Insider.

Photo source: Walmart