Walmart Stores
What do our scores mean?
The organizational score represents the degree to which the organization influencing climate policy and legislation. Corporations also have relationship scores reflecting their links with influencers like trade associations. Both are combined to place the corporation in a performance band. Full details can be found here.
Update August 2021: If limited evidence had been collected either on a company's direct policy engagement (Organization Score) or industry association links (Relationship Score) this is signified with an ‘n/a’ (not available). If limited evidence has been collected in both areas, the Total Score is also given as n/a. Full details and links back to any primary evidence that has been collected can still be located on the company’s profile.
Engagement Intensity
The engagement intensity (EI) is a metric of the extent to which the company is engaging on climate change policy matters, whether positively or negatively. It is a number from 0 (no engagement at all) to 100 (full engagement on all queries/data points). Clearly energy companies are more affected by climate regulations and will have a higher EI than, for example retailers. So an organization’s score should be looked at in conjunction with this metric to gauge the amount of evidence we are using in each case as a basis for scoring. On our scale, an EI of more than 35 indicates a relatively large amount of climate policy engagement.
Relationship Score, December 2020
A new batch of industry associations has been uploaded onto the InfluenceMap system and the relationship scores recalculated accordingly.
Updated terminology, February 2021
We adjusted the terminology used to describe the queries running down the left-hand side of our scoring matrix and added additional explanatory text to the info-boxes. This has no impact on the scores and methodology. It has been done following user feedback to improve clarity.
- Details of Organization Score
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What do the 0,1,2 and NSs, NAs mean?
Each cell in the organization's matrix presents a chance for us to assess each data source against our column of climate change policy queries. We score from -2 to 2, with negative scores representing evidence of obstructive influence. "NA" means "not applicable" and "NS" means "not scored" - that is we did not find any evidence either way. In both cases, the cell's weighting is re-distributed over others. Red and blue cells represent highly interesting negative or positive influence respectively. Full details can be found here.
- Details of Relationship Score
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What is the Relationship Score
A corporation, as well as its organizational score will have a relationship score. It is computed by aggregating the organizational scores of the Influencers (trade bodies etc.) it has relationships with, weighted by both the strength of these relationships and the relative importance of the Influencers towards climate change policy. Full details can be found here.
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QUERIES
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DATA SOURCES | ||||||
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Main Web Site
The main organizational Web site of the company and its direct links to major affiliates and attached documents. |
Social Media
We search other media and sites funded or controlled by the organization, such as social media (Twitter, Facebook) and direct advertising campaigns of the organization. |
CDP Responses
We assess and score responses to two questions from CDP's climate change information request (12.3 a & 12.3c) related to political influence questions (currently these are not numerically scored by the CDP process). |
Legislative Consultations
Comments from the entity being scored on governmental regulatory consultation processes, including those obtained by InfluenceMap through Freedom of Information requests. |
Media Reports
Here we search in a consistent manner (the organization name and relevant query search terms) a set of web sites of representing reputable news or data aggregations. Supported by targeted searches of proprietary databases. |
CEO Messaging
Here we search in a consistent manner (the CEO/Chairman, organization name and relevant query search terms) a set of web sites of representing reputable news or data aggregations. Supported by targeted searches of proprietary databases. |
Financial Disclosures
We search 10-K and 20-F SEC filings where available, and non US equivalents where not. . |
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Communication of Climate Science
Is the organization transparent and clear about its position on climate change science? |
2
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NS | NS | NS | NS |
1
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1
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Alignment with IPCC on Climate Action
Is the organization supporting the science-based response to climate change as set out by the IPCC? (the IPCC) |
0
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1
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NA | NS |
0
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1
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NS |
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Supporting the Need for Regulations
To what extent does the organization express the need for regulatory intervention to resolve the climate crisis? |
1
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1
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NS | NS |
1
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NS | NS |
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Support of UN Climate Process
Is the organization supporting the UN FCCC process on climate change? |
1
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2
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NS | NS |
1
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2
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NS |
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Transparency on Legislation
Is the organisation transparent about its positions on climate change legislation/policy and its activities to influence it? |
-2
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NA |
1
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NA | NA | NA | NS |
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Carbon Tax
Is the organisation supporting policy and legislative measures to address climate change: carbon tax. |
NS | NS | NS | NS | NS | NS | NS |
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Emissions Trading
Is the organisation supporting policy and legislative measures to address climate change: emissions trading. |
NS | NS | NS | NS | NS | NS | NS |
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Energy and Resource Efficiency
Is the organization supporting policy and legislative measures to address climate change: energy efficiency policy, standards, and targets |
NS | NS |
0
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NS |
2
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NS | NS |
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Renewable Energy
Is the organization supporting policy and legislative measures to address climate change: Renewable energy legislation, targets, subsidies, and other policy |
1
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2
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0
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NS |
1
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NS | NS |
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Energy Transition & Zero Carbon Technologies
Is the organization supporting an IPCC-aligned transition of the economy away from carbon-emitting technologies, including supporting relevant policy and legislative measures to enable this transition? |
1
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1
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NS |
1
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1
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NS | NS |
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GHG Emission Regulation
Is the organization supporting policy and legislative measures to address climate change: GHG emission standards and targets. Is the organization supporting policy and legislative measures to address climate change: Standards, targets, and other regulatory measures directly targeting Greenhouse Gas emissions |
NS |
1
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0
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NS |
0
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NS | NS |
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Disclosure on Relationships
Is the organization transparent about its involvement with industry associations that are influencing climate policy, including the extent to which it is aligned with these groups on climate? |
-1
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NS |
-2
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NA | NA | NA | NS |
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
InfluenceMap Comment:
Walmart CEO is incoming chairman for 2 years starting Jan 2020
Douglas McMillon
Open PDF file of Data Source
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
InfluenceMap Comment:
Walmart CEO is on Executive Committee
Douglas McMillon
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
InfluenceMap Comment:
Walmart CEO is incoming chairman for 2 years starting Jan 2020
Douglas McMillon
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
InfluenceMap Comment:
Walmart CEO is on Executive Committee
Douglas McMillon
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
InfluenceMap Comment:
Walmart is a member of REBA's leadership circle, Board of Directors, and Advisory Board.
Bruce Harris, Vice President of Federal Government Affairs; Steve Chriss, Director of Energy & Strategy Analysis
Open PDF file of Data Source
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
InfluenceMap Comment:
Walmart is a member of REBA's leadership circle, Board of Directors, and Advisory Board.
Bruce Harris, Vice President of Federal Government Affairs; Steve Chriss, Director of Energy & Strategy Analysis
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
InfluenceMap Comment:
Exec of Walmart India sits on the Advisory Council of the US India Business Council
Krish Iyer
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
InfluenceMap Comment:
Exec. is on the board of directors of US-India Business Council
Judith McKenna
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
InfluenceMap Comment:
Walmart is a member of the U.S.-UK Business Council, a council within the US Chamber of Commerce
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
InfluenceMap Comment:
Exec of Walmart India sits on the Advisory Council of the US India Business Council
Krish Iyer
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
InfluenceMap Comment:
Exec. is on the board of directors of US-India Business Council
Judith McKenna
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
InfluenceMap Comment:
Walmart is a member of the U.S.-UK Business Council, a council within the US Chamber of Commerce
How to Read our Relationship Score Map
In this section, we depict graphically the relationships the corporation has with trade associations, federations, advocacy groups and other third parties who may be acting on their behalf to influence climate change policy. Each of the columns above represents one relationship the corporation appears to have with such a third party. In these columns, the top, dark section represents the strength of the relationship the corporation has with the influencer. For example if a corporation's senior executive also held a key role in the trade association, we would deem this to be a strong relationship and it would be on the far left of the chart above, with the weaker ones to the right. Click on these grey shaded upper sections for details of these relationships. The middle section contains a link to the organization score details of the influencer concerned, so you can see the details of its climate change policy influence. Click on the middle sections for for details of the trade associations. The lower section contains the organization score of that influencer, the lower the more negatively it is influencing climate policy.
Climate Lobbying Overview: Walmart appears to have limited but mostly positive engagement with climate change policy. The company offers top-line support for global climate action and the energy transition, but appears to have engaged with very few specific climate policies in 2018-20.
Top-line Messaging on Climate Policy: Walmart clearly accepts the science of climate change. In a 2020 press release, Walmart communicates broad support for urgent global action to reduce GHG emissions without specifying a preferred timeline. In December 2020, Walmart signed a joint letter calling on the incoming Biden administration to implement strong national climate policies. In early 2021, a spokesperson stated that the company will continue to encourage science-based national and international policies to address climate change. Walmart clearly supports the Paris Agreement, with CEO Doug Millon opposing US withdrawal in 2017 and the company signing a joint letter in 2020 urging the incoming Biden administration to rejoin.
Engagement with Climate-Related Regulations: Walmart appears to lobby on a limited number of specific climate policies. Previously, in 2016, the company supported fuel economy standards for large trucks, buses and other heavy-duty vehicles. While its 2020 CDP response lists support for market-based policy to drive corporate renewable energy procurement, Walmart’s corporate website does not appear to disclose positions toward, or engagement with, various strands of climate policy.
Positioning on Energy Transition: Walmart appears generally supportive of a clean energy transition. A page on its corporate website in 2021 endorses rapid decarbonization of global economic systems but does not list specific policy measures that Walmart would support toward this aim. Previously, in 2017, Walmart submitted a comment to the US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission opposing the Grid Resiliency Pricing Rule, a measure widely understood as an attempt to safeguard coal assets in the energy mix.
Industry Association Governance: Walmart discloses a list of its memberships to industry associations in its 2020 ESG report but has not disclosed information about the groups’ positions, potential issues of misalignment with its own positions, or any attempts to address misalignment. Walmart is an indirect member of the US Chamber of Commerce, which has engaged negatively on most forms of climate policy. Walmart CEO Doug McMillon is currently Chair of the Business Roundtable, which has begun to demonstrate a nominally positive shift on climate policy following historically mixed positions.