Wal-Mart Expands Employee Sustainability Program

Wal-Mart has expanded its Personal Sustainability Projects program. PSPs let Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club employees develop goals to improve their health and the health of the environment. Wal-Mart also plans to eventually expand the program into its international stores.

Last July, employees in eight stores in the Denver and Indianapolis areas participated in a pilot PSP program, creating personal sustainability projects and making a voluntary commitment to meet their goals. PSPs included making healthier food choices, volunteering in their communities and using environmentally friendly products in their homes. After a successful pilot, the program was expanded in October to 130 Wal-Mart stores and Sam’s Club locations in Denver, Indianapolis and Tampa test markets.

More than 20,000 associates developed PSPs in the three test markets. In the Denver market, 84 percent of associates -? more than 3,400 people -? adopted PSPs.

In the Tampa market, 300 associates set up recycling programs in their homes. Paper recycling centers have been established in all stores in the Indianapolis market, and proceeds are donated to the local Children’s Miracle Network Hospital. Overall, more than 16 tons of paper, aluminum, and plastic have been recycled as part of the pilot PSP efforts.