A go-to store for the cheapest priced products available probably in the entire nation, Walmart is a famous name in every American’s mouth. This retail corporation is mainly known for its discount department stores and grocery stores. It has over 10,254 stores all around the world and has its headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas. The corporation operates under various names in different countries. An average American visits Walmart at least once a week. It is not only cheap, but you can find everything there. Walmart is also the last option left when you can’t find the items that you need. It can be called the hub of cost-friendly products. Everything they have is new and fresh. Walmart believes in the idea of living comfortably without spending much money. It topped the Fortune Global 500 list as the world’s largest company. Read more to know about Walmart social responsibility.
Walmart has been working with the goal of social responsibility since 2005 to make the whole world a better place. Sustainability, consumer satisfaction, and the restoration of the environment are its tasks in their social responsibility project. But, first, we need to know the concept of social responsibility. There are specific responsibilities a business has to fulfill. These responsibilities include not harming society in any way for their profit but giving back to the community. Walmart has taken on social responsibilities and has been successful in its various projects so far.
Digging Deeper Into Walmart’s Social Responsibility
They adopted Walmart’s initiative for the social responsibility project in 2005 and successfully moved forward with it. However, sometimes companies and even big corporations fail to comply with the customers’ needs or society’s needs. They may be harming the environment in some way, which has started to impose a significant problem. It is then the responsibility of that company has to undertake measures to prevent such mishaps that are eventually posing a threat to both society and the environment.
The question now arises: What are the measures Walmart is adopting and benefits in any way? Is the corporation doing something, and from where the public is supposed to know what’s going on? Here we have researched and have tried to put few things together for you to understand. If you want to do in-depth research about their social responsibility, visit Walmart’s official website. Now, let’s get started.
Sustainability
Sustainability has been one of the most significant projects for Walmart so far. To maintain the planet’s health, Walmart has been actively taking part in projects; projects that will help keep a comfortable surrounding. Non-renewable resources, as we all know, have been decreasing in quantity because of excessive usage. Factory wastes have made the water bodies around it polluted and toxic, eventually harming the communities. Big corporations often tend to ignore such concerns by passing them as trivial matters. But if things are not taken into our hands right away, there will be worse consequences awaiting us. According to Walmart reports, it has set some goals for the upcoming years and successfully progressed with them so far. The goals are:
- Zero emissions by the year 2040.
- Install solar panels and replace power-generated machinery.
- By 2035, reach 100% renewable energy.
- Restoration vast parts of the land and a massive area of the ocean by 2030.
- Increase responsible recruitment for human dignity.
- Avoid greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.
- Promote 100% recyclable, reusable, and industrially compostable private-brand packaging by 2025 to achieve zero waste.
Some of the goals that Walmart has successfully achieved are:
- 81% of Walmart’s waste was diverted from landfills and incineration globally with success.
- In 2019 and 2020, Walmart attained the climate disclosure nonprofit CDP’s ‘A List’ for its climate action.
Opportunity
Economic opportunities need an increase for the people all around. Walmart has been creating economic opportunities for people and businesses all along its supply chains. It cares for the people of society. Walmart believes in and respects human rights and has been doing its utmost to uplift the lives of its employees. The Walmart Foundation’s Retail Opportunity philanthropic program has committed more than $100 million for the U.S. frontline development. Their frontline workforce development strategy focuses on:
- Creating access to employment
- Providing Job Stability
- Building mobility for professional development
Community
A comfortable community is necessary for people to fit in it. Walmart cares for its associates and customers and has been providing support to it endlessly.
- Calamity Relief: Walmart is said to have quick responses whenever there is a hazard. With one of the strongest teams, Walmart takes initiatives to help its associates and customers who have been affected by calamities. Walmart has made investments to strengthen its relief efforts and help people who have been gravely affected. It also carries out donations and supplies chain operations, and its associates volunteer in emergency assistance.
- Local Community Support: Walmart is known to sell products at lower prices all around the world. They are no doubt the biggest retailers in the world. To support financially backward families but cannot afford Walmart from day one to provide, these people’s products have been selling their things at the lowest prices. Through campaigns, awareness, and donations, they have given away free goods to those who require them.
- Associate Support: The Associates in Critical Need Trust Walmart’s associates have the privilege of receiving funds if they were affected by disasters or have any financial hardships.
- Meal: Everybody, whether rich people or people, has the right to get food. A healthy diet requires a minimum of three meals a day. But, unfortunately, not every person has the opportunity to get access to such food. Walmart has noted this serious issue and has been providing food through charities to the people who desperately need it. Walmart has donated 627 million pounds of food in the U.S. It has reached out to racial and ethnic communities and has made investments so that they don’t suffer deficiency because of food shortages. Through its awareness programs, Walmart has been promoting food awareness so that the local communities switch to healthy food to lead a healthy lifestyle. During the covid19 pandemic, Walmart has been doing door-to-door deliveries to those who were affected by it.
- Currently, there are more than 320,000 veterans and military spouses working under Walmart and advancing their careers. Walmart has created opportunities for such people and has guaranteed job offers.
Ethics and Integrity
- Without ethics and integrity, a massive corporation like Walmart would have fallen into pieces a long ago. With Walmart’s trust policies, it has been able to build a strong core for its business to grow more and be successful. Walmart doesn’t tolerate any forms of discrimination, bribery, corruption and is strongly against it. Associates trust Walmart because of its racism-free environment, and consumers trust Walmart because of its high-quality food.
- Values and Code of Conduct are highly maintained. A person’s true nature should come through the way they treat others. A customer’s needs should always be fulfilled, and Walmart is always there to serve them. Associates have to comply with the rules and regulations of comfort, and suppliers are expected to act with integrity and honor Walmart’s values.
- The leaders of Walmart are held accountable for maintaining integrity and communicating with the associates. They should maintain ethical business and help guide Walmart to grow more.
- The associates are taught awareness regarding their safety in their workplace and how to treat the customers. They are also trained before they get started with the actual work.
- Ethics and compliance performance are continually monitored, and if there is a report of a violation, employees are removed immediately from their positions.
Conclusion
Thus, Social Responsibility is a key factor and needs to be addressed. Walmart has been doing great so far with its social responsibility initiatives and has successfully been able to reduce any harmful emissions or production of waste materials that may be harmful to both the environment and the community. Preservation of the non-renewable resources and providing equal opportunities for income to the people has been the driving features of this mega corporation’s success. Walmart has a lot of stuff saved for the future, and this is just the start. Walmart is an all-rounder and is surely going to help the world become better with its social responsibility efforts.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is Walmart Socially Responsible?
Ans: Yes. Walmart is socially responsible and has adopted various initiatives to help serve the community.
- What is Walmart doing for social responsibility?
Ans: Walmart has taken into its hands the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, restoration of natural resources, and selling sustainable products.
- What are the types of Social Responsibilities that Walmart has undertaken?
Ans: The types of social responsibilities that Walmart has undertaken are Economic Responsibility, Ethical Responsibility, Economic Responsibility, and Philanthropic Responsibility.
