Walmart Partners with Schneider Electric to Bring Renewable Energy to Value Chain
Retail giant Walmart announced a collaboration with energy and automation digital solutions provider Schneider Electric aimed at providing increased access to renewable energy for Walmart’s US-based suppliers. The new initiative, the Gigaton PPA (GPPA) Program, is designed to educate Walmart suppliers about renewable energy purchases and accelerate renewable energy adoption by participating suppliers through aggregate power purchase agreements (PPA).
Zach Freeze, Senior Director, Sustainability at Walmart, said:
“The Gigaton PPA Program is the kind of innovation-in-action needed to help our suppliers take the next step towards low-carbon emissions, helping to build a more sustainable future for our communities. Through Schneider Electric’s work with our suppliers, the program aims to democratize access to renewable energy, and accelerate its use with our supplier base.”
According to Walmart, the new collaboration supports the company’s Project Gigaton, the retailer’s initiative to avoid one billion metric tons of carbon dioxide from the company’s global value chain by 2030.
Walmart launched Project Gigaton in 2017. To date, more than 2,300 suppliers from 50 countries are participating in the project, and a cumulative 230 million metric tons of emissions have been avoided through energy, waste, packaging, agriculture, forests, and product use and design.
Walmart and Schneider Electric’s GPPA initiative was designed to help overcome the barriers smaller companies often meet in sourcing renewable energy, including a lack of size needed to approach the market individually, and insufficient education and guidance on the specific mechanics of renewable energy transactions. The initiative aims to make it possible for more companies to learn about energy purchases, access renewable energy, reduce emissions and increase their ability to contribute towards Project Gigaton.
Steve Wilhite, Senior Vice President, Schneider Electric, said:
“It is our honor to work with Walmart on this revolutionary program. The company is demonstrating significant leadership by increasing access to utility-scale renewable energy opportunities for their suppliers as part of the Project Gigaton ambition. The GPPA program aims to bring a significant amount of new wind and solar to the grid at a time when climate action is most urgent.”