Wal-Mart Canada today announced plans to retrofit 1.75 million lights in its entire chain of 293 outlets with higher efficiency bulbs, ensuring year-round energy reductions with no effect on lighting quality in stores. The move follows Wal-Mart's summertime two-thirds lighting program, in which store lights nationwide were dimmed by one third to reduce energy use, summer smog, and store impacts on local power grids.
The retailer has already converted approximately half of its 293 stores from 32-watt bulbs to a 25-watt alternative. Based on results to date, the company estimates that converting all 1.75 million light bulbs in its stores nationwide will reduce overall store electricity use by seven per cent; reduce lighting-specific electricity use by more than 20 per cent; save the company more than $5 million annually; and, by reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 17,000 tonnes, have the equivalent effect of powering nearly 4,000 homes emissions free, taking 1,700 cars off the road, or planting 51,000 trees.
The light-bulb retrofit program is part of Wal-Mart Canada's goal to reduce its greenhouse-gas emissions by 19,000 tons of CO2 in 2007. In addition to its two-thirds lighting program and bulb retrofitting in stores, Wal-Mart Canada has replaced existing lighting in locations such as its external "Wal-Mart" storefront signs and sales floor refrigerators with 90-per cent more efficient light-emitting diode (LED) alternatives. The company has also become the nation's largest commercial purchaser of green power; is transitioning corporate fleet cars to hybrid vehicles; has created product shipping strategies that substitute rail travel for road travel; and continues to initiate programs with a variety of associated reductions in CO2 emissions.
While Wal-Mart Canada's transition from traditional 32-watt bulbs to 25-watt bulbs was initially limited to newly constructed stores, the company quickly recognized impressive energy reductions as well as cost savings and expects to complete the chain-wide roll out in 2008.
Wal-Mart Canada has made higher efficiency lighting a pillar of its overall effort to become a leader in sustainable retail. In addition to its own operational lighting changes, the company has heavily promoted compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) to Canadian customers. Wal-Mart Canada has given higher profile to CFLs on store shelves, launched its own Energy Value private-label brand of CFLs whereby dropping prices significantly, and committed to selling 10 million CFLs this year - an ambitious goal it is on track to meet.
Wal-Mart Canada is investigating all areas of its business for opportunities to initiate sustainable change. The company currently has 13 internal sustainability networks seeking change in categories like product availability, shipping, packaging, materials, store construction and design, and greenhouse gas reduction.
Wal-Mart has committed to three long-term sustainability goals, globally and in Canada:
- To produce zero waste;
- To be powered 100 per cent by renewable energy; and,
- To make more environmentally preferable products available to customers.
Headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario, Wal-Mart Canada Corp. operates 293 outlets nationwide. The company's environmental vision is to demonstrate 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.
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