Hidden Emissions of Massive Retail Companies

The environmental impact of the transportation sector is one of huge proportions, taking up more than a quarter of total US Greenhouse Gas Emissions in 2019. One of the major contributors in this sector are the massive container ships that circumnavigate the globe with tons of our online orders. They are a necessity in a world that is becoming ever more globalized. With that in mind, let's take a dive into the “hidden” emissions of global retail giants.

The Ever Given cargo ship. Source: The Conversation.

During the pandemic, online retail boomed and so did the shipping industry. Of course, with that comes the rise in emissions. One billion metric tons of them. Included in that, sulfur oxide, which can cause asthma and increased ocean acidity. Nitrous oxide, which can cause asthma and form smog. And particulate matter, which can lead to lung cancer and cardiopulmonary diseases. Oh, and we can’t forget carbon dioxide.

This past July, Pacific Environment and Stand.Earth came out with a report about how retail giants pollute through the use of fossil fuel-based shipping. Here are some things I learned from that report:

Source: Walmart.com

Amongst the top 15 retail polluters, Walmart comes out on top, contributing 3.72 million metric tons of carbon emissions, 71.34 metric tons of methane, and 215 metric tons of Nitrous oxide. Seeing this made me curious about Walmart’s sustainability report, and after taking a look at it, it made me wonder, how is Walmart the top retail shipping polluter? After all, the company made the nonprofit’s CDP’s ‘A List’ for climate action in 2019 and 2020.

Source: Shady Ships Report

Their goals are applaudable too, including committing to zero emissions from their own operations by 2040 and to run on 100% renewable energy by 2035. But one thing sticks out like a sore thumb. Many goals that Walmart has committed to don’t include their supply chain, so for example, when Walmart said they would be carbon neutral by 2040, it doesn’t include Walmart’s shipping emissions.

It’s still important to acknowledge this new data, as Madeline Rose, primary author of the report puts it, “There really hadn’t been an investigation into this pillar of companies’ emissions portfolio. Quite frankly, with the climate emergency on our doorstep, we just feel like there needs to be disruption of the data system and there needs to be greater transparency. "

But what can companies really do about emissions from their shipping? There isn’t any economically viable alternative to huge container ships and there also aren’t any ships that are run on renewable energy. So, are companies stuck with this huge hole in their sustainability goal? Well, that’s a question for another day.