Unlikely Partnerships: Walmart, Environmental Defense Fund Green the Global Shopping Cart

Description

A little-known fact: Walmart, one of the world’s largest retailers, is also a leader in environmentally friendly business practices. Learn how an unlikely partnership with the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) has yielded results that are good for the earth, good for the bottom line and good for Walmart’s increasingly diverse consumer population.

Together, this “odd couple” set out to reduce Walmart’s impact on the environment as well as improve the environmental effects of Walmart’s suppliers and distributors. The partnership has strong science and technology components, and is outcomes-based, scalable and stands the test of time. With EDF’s help, Walmart is achieving significant reductions in toxic chemical use and greenhouse gas emissions.

And because nearly 100% of Walmart’s growth in the U.S. comes from multicultural consumers, it’s a diversity initiative itself. The result: It makes people who buy from Walmart, and even the shopping carts, healthier and the environment safer.

The session presenters, executives from EDF and Walmart, will share the relevant story about how the EDF–Walmart collaboration is “bridging the gap” between for-profit and nonprofit entities. They will explore how the relationship started, how it has evolved, its structure and governance, key people on the teams, planning, outcomes and where it’s headed!

Learning Outcomes

1. Learn how to build longstanding partnerships that evolve
2. Discover how to set audacious goals in a partnership
3. Explore how a partnership like this reinforces diversity messages