Nov. 16, 2007 Wal-Mart has released its first comprehensive report detailing the dozens of sustainability programs launched since the retail giant began its green push two years ago.

In October 2005, Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott set out three major sustainability goals for the company: to be supplied 100% by renewable energy, to create zero waste, and to sell products that help sustain resources and the environment.

And so far? Scott says progress is being made, but the company has much more to accomplish. "Our carbon footprint is growing slower but it is still growing. We are reducing waste but we are far from the day when we have eliminated waste in our stores," Scott writes.

Environmental Defense, a nonprofit group that is working with Wal-Mart on its sustainability programs, says "the company is moving in the right direction" but that the report "reveals...areas where they have more to do."

The report has drawn some fire for offering facts piecemeal and failing to back up claims with hard data. For example, while the company highlights resource-saving innovations such as lower-energy lighting and low-flow bathroom taps, the report does not say exactly how many stores employ these features.

In his foreword to the report, Scott appears to answer critics who claim that Wal-Mart's sheer size prevents it from ever being a truly sustainable company. "We make no claims of being a green company. And we're not saying we're better than other companies," he writes. "[W]hat we are saying is we're doing sustainability in a way that's real and right for Wal-Mart and is touching the lives of millions of people around the world."

Scott is careful to emphasize the degree to which Wal-Mart's sustainability efforts have become part of its core strategy. "We have found that there is no conflict between our business model of everyday low costs and everyday low prices and being a more sustainable business," he writes. "Many of our environmental sustainability efforts...mean cost savings for us, our suppliers and our customers, so that in both good times and bad times, they will remain part of who we are."

Download the complete 60-page report here. Or click here for a few targeted excerpts on key topics including greening suppliers, lowering carbon emissions, and sourcing from China.