The Company Of Wawa, Inc.

Wal-Mart should project a community friendly, environment caring and employee welfare seeking brand image to combat. Emerging threats. Investment in sustainability initiatives like solar energy and recycling could be possible opportunities.

“Bag2bag” program is the most important one among them. Kroger reused more than 1billion pounds of corrugated cardboard in 2007. It resulted in a 14 percent increment over the previous year. In majority of the stores plastic bags, dry-cleaning bags and plastic shrink-wrap can now be reused via Kroger’s recycling program. 9.1 million pounds of plastic recycled from the stores and distribution centers as a result of this program. The grocery bags used in many retail departments contain 25% reused content as a direct consequence of “Bag2bag” program. (Kroger Sustainability Report,

INTRODUCTION: The act of recycling has been and is very influential around the world for the last decade, where global warming is not easily seen on news headline; strongly encouraged for all people, especially strongly advised to recycle in the United States. Recycling plastic and other reusable materials are a process that takes decades to have at least half of the world's population to get involved; however Nevada started to show advances to recycling, with investments from industries, universities or schools, and individuals. Hotels on the Las Vegas Strip and diverse population of students have promoted recycling exceedingly, which encouraged and still is encouraging out-of-state recycling industries to take a step further in recycling

Wal-Mart uses its resources in research since before (2011-2012) for the sole purpose of coming up with new ideas and new ways to sustain itself in the local and global community. Locally it provides electricity in stores from solar panels and wind turbines. “Wal-Mart has taken strides to obtain its sustainability objectives. It has opened two environmentally friendly stores in McKinney, Texas, and Aurora, Colorado.” The company hopes that these experiments will conserve natural resources, save energy, and reduce pollution. In addition, Wal-Mart is attempting to reduce fossil fuel. Its fleet of hybrid trucks is a new technology for going “green (Ferrell, Fraedrich, Ferrell, 2011).” Similarly, Wal-Mart is “Currently working on four main green areas: waste improvement and recycling, natural resources, energy, and social/community impact. Wal-Mart’s long-term goals are to be supplied 100 percent by renewable energy, create zero

Aside from being a major grocery store in the Southeast of the United States, Publix Super Market Inc., is a company that is involved in many community projects and their goal is to meet today’s needs without compromising what is essential for tomorrow. Though, there was a lack of recycling in the State of Florida, Publix which has the majority of their stores, plans to introduce a system of recycling using a vending machine which will encourage the community to recycle. In fact, this will be a new addition to an existing recycling system we all are aware for shopping plastic bags; the green vending recycling machines will carry the well know Publix Logo with an added recycling sign. What better way to identify what is essential for tomorrow.

I decided to do my research at Lowe’s Home and Improvement. Lowe’s Home and Improvement is a hardware store that sales everything from your basic household appliances to minor cleaning supplies. Lowe’s believes that in order to maintain great customer service they feel that they must follow these simple rules: Provide customers with environmentally-responsible products, packaging and services at everyday low prices, educate and engage employees, customers and others on the importance of conserving resources, reducing waste and recycling, review and communicate progress made toward achieving established goals and objectives, and to engage on public policy issues related to sustainability. In this report I will discuss how I observed two

Americans have yet to face the unnerving reality of the fact that “in 2008 only 7.1% of the 30.05 million tons of plastic waste in America was recycled” (Linn). This low percentage is shocking, outrageous, and should terrify the American public, but this number can change. Recycling is not just a feel good experience; it is a way to help save energy, space, and money. However, with the enormous amount of trash being thrown out each year, landfills are increasing in size creating numerous issues. The staggering amount of waste increases greenhouse gases, contributing to global warming and building up dangerous toxins that sink underground into our soil and water, overflows into wildlife habitats and oceans, and costs a large amount of money to remove. By fining residents who incorrectly dispose of recyclable goods, implementing recycling as a requirement in educational institutions and other business and residential settings, categorizing the

Wal-Mart is the largest retailer in the world. The position Wal-Mart holds gives the company a large responsibility to contribute to the community that supports the stores. As an organization Wal-Mart owes its success to the stake holders of their business. Wal-Mart requires the community to continue business operations, Trevino and Nelson state that “a major stakeholder in business must be the communities of which corporations and other organizations are a part” (2011). Wal-Mart must consider the community happiness with their business decisions to remain profitable.

The Fortune 500 was established in 1955. Fortune 500 is a list of the 500 largest companies in the United States as compiled by FORTUNE Magazine. This list is compiled by using recent figures for revenue and includes both public and private companies with publicly available revenue data. (investopia.com) The Fortune 500 companies are ranked by the amount of revenue that they are bringing in on a yearly basis. While many feel that many of those businesses are operated by men, the Fortune 500 currently released and let it be known that there are 21 women CEO’s in the Fortune 500 category. (Management.Fortune)

In the realm of waste reduction, Kroger’s recycling program enabled them to recycle over one billion tons of corrugated cardboard in 2007. Efforts have increased since then. They have reduced the use of plastics and paper by introducing and encouraging the use of reusable bags. Additionally, the reusable bags themselves are made from 25% recycled material. Kroger has also reduced paper usage by using more electronic and digital communications and some paperless administration operations. This has saved over 91 million sheets or 455 tons of paper since inception. Kroger also reduced the waste of food by rescuing food prior to spoilage and donating what is termed “not for retail” food.

Another problem that Wal-Mart faces is one shared by all people. There is a concern for the environmental well-being of the Earth. There is much press about corporations that have violated safe environmental practices. Their “receipt, transportation, handling, identification, recycling, treatment, storage and disposal” of hazardous material has been under scrutiny. Also their greatest associated environmental concern is urban sprawl. They have counteracted these problems by trying to become a greener company. They are working to reduce greenhouse

As much as Walmart may care about the environment, they will not sacrifice some profit now in order to actually help it in the immense way they are able to. These large companies recognize that sustainability is good business, so why will they not actually change? Eventually, they will not have any choice. And by that point, it will cost millions more to reverse the damages. By looking at the environment through an economic lens, Walmart sees the importance of changing but also that the monetary value of changing is not as great as the monetary value of continuing on as they are. Despite already being the largest corporation in the world, Walmart continues to add more harm to the environment because they are still not satisfied with their

Perhaps this is giving Walmart a free ride in the media/marketing as being sustainable without any parties doing their due diligence to verify the actual numbers. As Senge explained, perhaps “Walmart is using going green to offset negative press for treatment of its employees” due their recent lawsuit losses and settlements (Senge, 2010, p. 114). Although Walmart should be commended for its sustainability portfolio, I believe the results of their goals need to be looked at from proportional aspect as well as how/where Walmart sources their products.

Wal-Mart is investing millions of dollars in renewable sources of energy to reduce greenhouse gas pollution. In 2008, the company saved approximately 15 million gallons of diesel fuel by increasing space in its trucks and reducing the number of empty miles driven by trucks. By the year 2015, company is targeting to save

Wal-Mart now has to rebuild their images, procedures on how they conduct business nationwide and how the use ethical business practices. The New York time article reported, “Wal-Mart announces new ethical and environmental principles complete by 2012”. (Robinson, 2008)