Corporate partnerships achieve strong results

One year later, then Walmart CEO Lee Scott announced ambitious environmental goals, developed in consultation with EDF.

Since then, we have worked with the company on several issues central to our mission, including energy efficiency and toxic chemicals. On global warming alone, we have negotiated a carbon reduction goal that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions equal to taking 3.8 million cars off the road for one year. We are the only environmental organization with an office in Walmart’s hometown of Bentonville, Arkansas.

KKR and The Carlyle Group: Energy savings

Under our Green Returns program, we are working with private equity firms like KKR and The Carlyle Group to improve environmental performance at the companies they own and to create a new model for the industry. The private equity sector invests in thousands of companies, employs millions of people and controls investments equivalent to approximately 10% of the U.S. economy.

At KKR’s Dollar General, for example, we’ve identified $16 million in energy savings since 2007, reducing carbon emissions 113,000 tons — the equivalent of taking over 17,000 homes off the electrical grid for a year. Also, nine private equity firms are participating in EDF Climate Corps 2011, proof that EDF is really affecting the industry.

McDonald’s: Waste reduction

McDonald's saves $6 million in packaging costs each year as a result of our groundbreaking partnership.

Our corporate partnership work began in 1990, when McDonald's joined us in the first partnership between an environmental group and a major company.

Remember the old styrofoam "clamshell" boxes that Big Macs used to come in? Through the work of our joint task force, McDonald’s switched to paper-based boxes and wraps for their sandwiches, along with many more behind-the-scenes changes.

In the following decade, these changes eliminated more than 300 million pounds of packaging waste. Others in the industry soon made similar waste-reducing adjustments.

Resources for businesses

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