Walmart released its FY2026 ESG report July 29, showing it had reached a target of sourcing 50% of its electricity from renewable sources. The retail giant has also reduced its absolute Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 24.6% compared with its 2015 baseline year (achieving a 53.7% reduction in emissions intensity over the same period).
Chief Sustainability Office Kathleen McLaughlin said that this year also saw the culmination of Walmart’s “20x25” initiative: a decade-long effort by Walmart and the Walmart Foundation, in collaboration with many others, to enhance the environmental and social sustainability of 20 commodity value chains by 2025. Additionally, suppliers engaged through the company’s Project Gigaton platform reported projects since 2017 expected to avoid, reduce, or sequester 1.37 billion metric tons of CO2e through 2030.
In FY2026, Walmart’s suppliers and grantees reported sustainably managing, protecting, and/or restoring natural resources across 76.2 million acres of land and 3.68 million square miles of ocean. McLaughlin said these outcomes have been supported in part by more than $120 million in Walmart Foundation investments since FY2021 – including $30.5 million in FY2026.
McLaughlin also touched on Walmart’s strategy as responsible employer. “As a people-led, tech-powered omnichannel retailer, creating opportunity for associates, suppliers and sellers is central to our success,” she said. “To support associate growth, we have developed an internal learning ecosystem that helps associates develop skills, gain experience, and advance their careers. In FY2026, we fulfilled our five-year commitment, investing $1 billion in associate training and education.”
Regarding artificial intelligence and automation, McLaughlin pointed to a “collaborative approach to building a future-ready workforce by preparing associates for evolving work driven by AI, automation, and omnichannel operations through removing friction, redesigning roles, building internal pathways into in-demand jobs, and upskilling our associates.”
