Walmart’s Approach to Water Compliance, Stewardship

INDUSTRIAL WATERWORLD: You deal with all of the water compliance programs for over 5,000 Walmart stores — what a huge undertaking. Tell us about your approach to water compliance.

TONI MCCRORY: It is a lot to do every day but it’s a great position. I love the challenges that it brings. We’ve had to approach it from a holistic mindset. There’s not one magic piece that solves everything when we look at compliance, and especially when we focus in on water.

We’re very focused on asset management, making sure that we have the right assets in place and that we’re taking care of them in a timely manner. We also look at whether we have the right performance-based incentives for our contractor partners in place. Are we doing what we can to drive down costs, but increase efficiency and savings to our customer over all?

We have a very extensive environmental management program that we’ve built out, so having the systems to back up everything that we’re doing, collecting the data and then actually putting that data to use for us — all of those factors really tie into making an effective and compliant solution for us.

Walmart’s Toni McCrory speaks with Industrial WaterWorld Chief Editor Angela Godwin during the BlueTech Forum.

IWW:We hear a lot about corporate social responsibility, but was does water stewardship mean to Walmart?

TM: To us, it is really focused on being good water stewards in the communities where we live. We have a lot of efforts in engaging our local stores with their water resource councils or getting them involved in whatever watershed partnerships might be out there, doing clean-ups on the local river that they’re part of, and making sure that we are seen as contributors to providing clean water back into the communities where we not only live and work but also play. Getting to be a part of those communities is really important for us.

IWW: It’s great to see you here at the BlueTech Forum. What would you say has been the value for you in attending?

TM: It’s endless right now, all the opportunities I’ve had here just making all those connections with like-minded individuals who are so focused on what’s next, what’s new, what’s upcoming — and where can we take the industry. One person can’t really set the course for the future but having a forum like this where you have so many like-minded individuals is absolutely amazing for us. I’m hoping to take back some great ideas, new friendships, and good partnerships for the future. IWW

Editor’s Note: The next BlueTech Forum will take place June 5-6, 2019, at the Kew Gardens in London. For more information, please visit www.bluetechforum.com.

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