Climate Lobbying Overview: Walmart appears to have 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 2019-22. Notably, it endorsed the US Inflation Reduction Act in 2022.

Top-line Messaging on Climate Policy: Walmart has positive top-line messaging on climate policy. Walmart clearly acknowledges the science of climate change in its 2022 ESG report, and supports net-zero GHG emissions reductions before 2050. The company signed numerous joint letters in 2021 endorsing global emissions reductions in line with IPCC recommendations, as well as ambitious government policy and strong nationally determined contributions to the Paris Agreement to achieve this aim. In September 2021, Walmart published a post on LinkedIn stating it was “encouraged” by the climate policy proposals in Congress, including those in the Build Back Better Act. Walmart has also consistently supported the Paris Agreement, as evident in a blog post from April 2022, and earlier in January 2021 through its support for the U.S. decision to rejoin in a C2ES joint letter.

Engagement with Climate-Related Policy: Walmart appears to engage on a limited number of specific climate policies. Walmart appeared as signatories on a Ceres joint letter in March 2022 advocating for more ambitious GHG emissions targets in Maryland. In April 2021, Walmart was also a part of the We Mean Business coalition’s statement calling on President Biden to set ambitious 2030 GHG emissions reduction target April 2021,

Walmart’s 2021 CDP response states that the company engages actively in energy efficiency-related policy, which it supports with minor exceptions, though the examples it provides are outdated. Similarly, Walmart states in its 2021 CDP response that it supports policy to reduce transport sector emissions with minor exceptions, without providing recent examples of policy engagement and noting a preference for one national standard to provide the industry with certainty. Its response also notes support for renewable energy policy, particularly “policies that allow market-based solutions like PPAs.”

Positioning on Energy Transition: Walmart has positive, though generally limited, engagement regarding the energy transition. Through various sign-on letters, such as the We Mean Business letter in April 2021, Walmart appears to support the transition to a low-carbon economy. That letter specifies the need for sustainable infrastructure and zero-emissions vehicles and buildings, among other policy measures, to advance decarbonization in the U.S.

In an August 2022 C2ES press release, Walmart CSO Kathleen McLaughlin expressed strong support for the climate provisions within the Inflation Reduction Act, stating that it would enable economy-wide decarbonization, and spur climate action.
Most recently, in a Winston-Salem Journal article from December 2022, Walmart appealed to regulators to raise the ambition of Duke energy’s carbon plan in North Carolina. Walmart’s corporate website, accessed February 2022, also notes participation in coalitions such as the Retail Breakthrough Campaign on the Race to Zero, which advocates for net-zero emissions in the retail sector by 2050.

Industry Association Governance: Walmart discloses a list of its memberships to industry associations on its website but has not disclosed details about the groups’ positions on climate policy, potential issues of misalignment with its own positions, or any attempts to address misalignment. Walmart participates in the leadership circle of the Clean Energy Buyers Alliance, which shows positive engagement on policies related to clean energy markets and renewable energy purchasing. Walmart CEO Doug McMillon is a member of the Business Roundtable which demonstrates mixed positions on climate policy, including the climate provisions in the Build Back Better Act. McMillon was also chair of the Business Roundtable from 2019-2021. Walmart International CEO Judith McKenna sits on the Global Board of Directors on the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s India Business Council.

InfluenceMap collects and assesses evidence of corporate climate policy engagement on a weekly basis, depending on the availability of information from each specific data source (for more information see our methodology). While this analysis flows through to the company’s scores each week, the summary above is updated periodically. This summary was last updated in Q1 2023.