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              A campaign to save money and help the environment by using energy efficient light bulbs

Tuesday, January 02, 2007


Wal Mart : to improve their marketing of CFLs
According to a New York Times article, the world's largest supermarket, Wal Mart, has announced plans to increase its US sales of compact fluorescent lamps from 40 million per year to 100 million per year.

The Chief Executive of Wal Mart, H. Lee Scott Jr., has said that "the environment is begging for the Wal Mart business model" and has consequently set about using his company's economic clout to force the world's biggest light bulb manufacturers to cut the price of their CFLs and to help improve the marketing of their energy saving light bulbs.

Interestingly, this NYT video shows that Wal Mart's has developed a new aisle-end display for light bulbs which clearly communicates the alternatives available for different kinds of traditional light bulb, as well as their lower runnings costs.

Sadly, other "quixotic" ideas such as banning incandescents were discussed at a "light bulb summit" which Wal Mart convened with manufacturers, but dismissed as being too radical!

Even if Wal Mart doesn't want to be too radical, perhaps it could consider the implementation of programme which would allow it to phase out the sale of incandescents over the next 10 years...

This would clearly be a lot easier than tackling the carbon emissions associated with its supply chains, stores, shoppers and distribution network, and would allow the barriers to beneficial change to be seriously tackled.


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