Walmart Sets New SBTi-Approved Target to Cut Scope 1 and 2 Emissions 28% by FY2031

Walmart has established a new science-based emissions reduction target for its operations. The retailer aims to cut absolute Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 28 percent by fiscal year 2031, using fiscal year 2025 as the baseline. The Science Based Targets initiative has validated the goal as consistent with a 1.5°C pathway following its standard five-year review process.

In its fiscal year 2026 ESG report, Walmart reported a 7.5 percent year-over-year decline in absolute Scope 1 and 2 emissions and an 11.6 percent reduction in emissions intensity. Measured against the fiscal year 2016 baseline, absolute emissions fell 24.6 percent while intensity dropped 53.7 percent. These results surpassed the company’s earlier 2°C-aligned target of an 18 percent reduction but fell short of the previous 1.5°C-aligned objective of a 35 percent cut by fiscal year 2026.

Progress was driven primarily by a 20.7 percent reduction in refrigerant-related emissions, achieved through fewer leaks and the adoption of lower-global-warming-potential refrigerants, together with greater use of renewable electricity. Business growth, store network expansion, higher long-haul transportation activity in the United States, and increased heating demand during colder weather in North America continued to present challenges. Walmart reaffirmed its longer-term aspiration of reaching zero Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2040 while noting that external factors, including technology availability and energy policy, will influence the pace of further reductions.