Walmart Canada's Green Business Summit to be zero waste

Event to accelerate sustainable change will also be powered wholly by renewable energy

VANCOUVER , Jan. 21 /CNW/ - Walmart Canada announced today that its Green Business Summit, to be held in Vancouver on February 10, 2010 , will be a zero waste event and powered 100 per cent by renewable energy. The event will bring together business, government, NGO and environmental leaders to share environmental business initiatives that are good for the planet and the bottom line.

"Whether its working with our suppliers to reduce product packaging, reducing waste in our own operations, or holding a zero waste event, Walmart Canada is actively working towards its goal of producing zero waste," said David Cheesewright, President and CEO of Walmart Canada . "Meeting our ambitious sustainability goals means looking at our business from 360 degrees and seeking out innovative solutions wherever we can."

The company expects to divert 95 per cent of the Summit's waste through a variety of efforts including the use of recycled and easily recyclable products, the composting of organic materials and multi-stream recycling bins.

This is just one of the many ways that Walmart Canada is reducing waste across its business. Last year, the company's home office became zero waste, focusing on waste reduction and diversion through the introduction of multiple recycling streams for paper fibres, beverage bottles and plastic, coffee cups, organics, polystyrene, electronics and compact fluorescent light bulbs. The company's 314 stores are also focused on waste reduction and recycling, currently diverting 65 per cent of their waste from landfill. The company's goal is to divert 80 per cent of its overall waste by 2014.

The Green Business Summit will be powered by 100 per cent renewable energy through Bullfrog Power, a Canadian provider of low-impact renewable electricity. In recent years, Walmart Canada has increased its use of zero emission power and is one of Canada's largest commercial purchasers of renewable electricity through Bullfrog Power. Walmart Canada's home office is fully powered by renewable energy as are nine of its stores in British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario.

The full-day Green Business Summit will feature plenary discussions, workshops and networking events that are designed to stimulate the sharing of best practices and new ideas. Emphasis will be placed on Energy, Waste & Material Management, Green Products & Solutions and Employee Green Engagement. Dr. David Suzuki , an award-winning environmentalist, scientist, author and broadcaster, will provide the keynote address. More information on the Summit is available at: www.walmartgreenbusinesssummit.com.

Since 2005, Walmart has been actively working towards three long-term sustainability goals globally and in Canada:

    
    1.  To produce zero waste;
    2.  To be powered 100 per cent by renewable energy; and,
    3.  To sell products that sustain people and the environment
    

About Walmart Canada

Headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario, Walmart Canada operates 314 retail outlets nationwide and serves more than one million customers daily. The company's vision is to demonstrate environmental leadership by reducing the ecological impact of its operations through company-wide programs focused on waste, energy and products, as well as outreach programs that preserve and enhance local environments. Walmart's global goal is to generate zero waste, to be powered 100 percent by renewable energy and to sell products that sustain people and the environment.

For further information: Karin Campbell, corporate affairs, Wal-Mart Canada, [phone] x 4042