Retailing behemoth Wal-Mart and China's Environmental Certification Center of the Ministry of Environmental Protection have signed a memorandum of understanding on environmental sustainability at the Wal-Mart chain store in Wangjing, Beijing.

The Environmental Certification Center of the MEP, also known as China Environmental United Certification Center Company, is the only institution which is authorized to grant eco-label certification in China. The company and Wal-Mart will work closely in the drafting of green store standards and certification of green supermarkets will be completed and carried out by interactive dialog, spot surveys, demonstrations, and validation.

Wal-Mart says that this is a significant step on the way to realizing its environmentally and socially sustainable supply chain strategy through signing the MOU, which is also an important part of the Sustainable Development Summit recently held by Wal-Mart in Beijing.

At the summit, Wal-Mart pledged to reinforce measures to protect the environment of their stores to become a leader in sustainable development in China.

The company will design and open a new store prototype that uses 40% less energy and will reduce energy use at existing stores by 30% by 2010. In addition, during the next two years, Wal-Mart China will aim to cut water use in all of its stores in half by investing in new hardware and systems, employee education, and other measures.

The first new store prototype in China — Wangjing Wal-Mart Market — opened on September 25, 2008. This was Wal-Mart's first attempt to apply LED lights in general lighting and use electrode-less HFED in some parts of the market as light source. The store is equipped with highly-efficient generator, compressor, and recycling systems for heat and waste water, saving electricity by 23% and water by 17% every year compared with older stores in 2005.