Teaching Notes: Climate change mitigation goals, objectives, and targets: the Walmart case

Walmart was the world’s largest retailer, and had taken a leadership position on climate change mitigation for the retail industry. Walmart crafted a goal to become net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040. The problem? In 2025, Walmart missed its target to reduce emissions by 35% compared to 2015 levels. Furthermore, Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO) Kathleen McLaughlin explained that Walmart did not expect to meet its 2030 target of 65% emissions reduction. There were several causes for optimism despite lagging performance. First, Walmart made progress towards the 2025 target by reducing emissions by 18.1%. Second, emissions intensity – emissions divided...