Wal-Marts new "save money, live better" branding effort begins at home, according to Rand Waddoups. The retail giants senior director of corporate strategy and sustainability told a packed house at SLM's own Sustainable Brands 07 conference held September 27-28 in New Orleans that sustainability 360 the company's name for its very ambitious (and very public) drive toward environmental and social responsibility is helping the company cut costs while working to create a more sustainable world for its employees and customers.

As part of its broad sustainability initiative, Wal-Mart is working with a sustainable value network that includes a range of stakeholders, from direct suppliers and packaging manufacturers to environmental groups and trade associations, said Waddoups. The goal? Actually, there are three broad areas of focus:

Renewable Energy. The company Ëœs long-term goal is to have 100% of its energy needs supplied by renewable sources. Shorter-term goals include:

• Increasing energy efficiency in existing stores by 20% within seven years
• Improving energy efficiency in new stores by 30% within four years
• Making Wal-Marts delivery fleet 25% more efficient in three years and doubling that percentage within ten years.

Zero Waste. Wal-Marts primary focus is on materials use in packaging, giving purchase preference to resource-efficient suppliers and working to design more sustainable packaging for its private label products. Goals include:

• Reducing suppliers packaging waste by 25% in three years
• Designing greener packaging for Wal-Mart brand packaging within two years.

Sustainable Products. The company has its work cut out improving sustainability in some key product categories, including textiles, electronics, foods, and forest products, among others. Goals include:

• Getting 20% of its supply base aligned with company sustainability standards withinin three years, giving preference to suppliers that align within two years
• Creating and supporting a green design program in China.

Thats a pretty tall order, requiring buy-in from suppliers, facility managers, employees, and customers, Waddoups acknowledged. He outlined four key steps toward top-to-bottom organizational change:

1. Ask the tough questions , there can be no solutions without them!
2. Continuously seek out inefficiencies and opportunities for improvement.
3. Make it easier for customers to understand and support the companys green initiatives.
4. Establish green credentials by encouraging a culture of transparency and trust.

Despite the headline announcements and high-level environmental strategy, Waddoups emphasized that Wal-Marts sustainability 360 is an incremental, step-by-step process. Given the companys tremendous reach, however, each small step can have far-ranging effects. For example, Wal-Mart calculates that simply by switching to energy-efficient LED lighting in its stores grocery freezer cases, the company saves $2.6 million and 35 million pounds of C02 each year.

As Waddoups put it:

Small changes + 200 Million Customers = Big Impact

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Want more? Read SLM's exclusive interview with Rand here.