Wal-Mart aims to cut energy use — and costs

The experimental nature of its plans have inevitably led to some trial and error. At its experimental stores, an attempt to use wind power wasn’t as successful as hoped. Wal-Mart also wasn’t happy with its test of pervious pavement that can more easily absorb water in parking lots.

Still, Ruben is confident that the company will be able to find better options to address those areas as well. That’s partly because the company’s sheer market power should push suppliers to come up with better technology to address its needs.

Ruben said the company hasn’t been shy about sharing such advances with its competitors, on the theory that if more people adopt the technology, prices will go down and suppliers will become more competitive.

He also insists Wal-Mart is only at the beginning.

“We’re barely at the low-hanging fruit with the efficiency opportunities,” he said.

Ruta, of Environmental Defense, sees a lot of hope in that kind of talk. But no matter how much Wal-Mart improves its energy efficiency and other environmental impacts, she notes that there is one big drawback — the company continues to build big new stores, adding to its potential for environmental damage.

Ruben argues that Wal-Mart is looking at stores that can have less impact, such as multi-level buildings or those that are located in already-developed urban areas or malls.

“The image of a rural store that is basically a county seat is rapidly changing,” he said.

Still, the company also continues to construct stores on undeveloped plots of land in less dense areas, and some of those projects have been challenged on environmental grounds.

Critics also note that Wal-Mart has another pragmatic reason for pushing a bold environmental agenda — the potential to improve its image.

Wal-Mart’s reputation has been battered in recent years by sustained, organized attacks against how much it pays workers, its expansion plans and other business practices. Its share price is essentially flat as compared to two years ago.

“They’re riding a big, positive PR wave for their environmental initiatives. It’s probably the only positive coverage they’re received recently,” said Nu Wexler, spokesman for the anti-Wal-Mart group Wal-Mart Watch.

He thinks the company deserves legitimate credit for taking steps to cut waste and energy use, and he also doesn’t see anything wrong with Wal-Mart making environmental changes in part to save money.

Still, his group also is pushing the company to provide even more specifics about its goals, arguing that its current outlines are too vague. At this point, he said, he views the environmental initiative with “cautious optimism.”

Wal-Mart’s Ruben concedes that there will always be some skeptics. To them, he said, “Hold us accountable.”

“Don’t measure us on our commitments. Measure us on our actions,” he added.

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