Corporate Responsibility

NEW YORK — Trucks that operate around major U.S. ports tend to be heavier polluters than their over the road counterparts but that situation could change thanks to a new initiative that has drawn support from major retailers and government and non-government entities.

New York City -- Massmart, now majority owned by Wal-Mart Stores, said on Sunday it aims to create 15,000 jobs in the next five years. The company also said it plans to expand its procurement of food and consumer goods by an additional $8.74 billion during the same period.

“Massmart intends to leverage Wal-Mart's global expertise in working directly with local farmers to encourage the cultivation of safe, high-quality fresh produce," Massmart CEO Grant Pattison said in the statement.

NEW YORK — Walmart is working with Colgate’s Bright Smiles, Bright Futures program to create a new initiative that offers free dental screenings and oral health education to children in need living in the Dallas area.

WASHINGTON — Walmart announced that, through its charitable arm the Walmart Foundation, it has launched a $25 million giving campaign aimed at filling the gaps created when schools close for the summer. Funding to more than 350 local nonprofit organizations will help expand nutrition, learning and employment services for elementary, middle and high school students throughout the 2011 summer months, the company reported.

Walmart said it would address the achievement gap between higher- and lower-income youth by focusing on three key areas:

New York City -- A report released Thursday by The Conference Board said that the rate of dismissal of CEOs in the S&P 500 due to disciplinary actions has increased in recent years, while 25% of boards of directors facing a chief executive succession have opted for an outside hire.

According to the 2011 CEO Succession Report, 51 CEOs in the S&P 500 left their post in 2010, making the rate of CEO succession approximately 10%, consistent with the average number of annual succession announcements from 2000 through 2009.

East Palo Alto, Calif. -- Ikea said Wednesday it has plugged in the solar energy installation at its store in East Palo Alto, Calif.

The 38,000-sq.-ft. array consists of a 302-kW system, built with approximately 1,344 panels. The Swedish home furnishings retailer’s program will produce approximately 427,900 kWh of clean electricity annually – the equivalent of reducing 326 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2), eliminating the emissions of 58 cars or powering 35 homes yearly.

PLEASANTON, Calif. — Safeway celebrated National Picnic Day on Monday by breaking the Guinness World Record for longest picnic table and debuting its new private-label brand.

The record-setting picnic, held at the Marina Green in San Francisco, featured Safeway's Open Nature, a newly launched line of all-natural foods that includes meat and poultry, bread, yogurt, ice cream and salad dressing products, that were prepared by Food Network chef Tyler Florence. Safeway also succeeded at building a table exceeding 305 ft.

CINCINNATI — Kroger has released its fifth annual sustainability report.

 Some of the highlights noted in the report include:

• Kroger stores reduced overall energy consumption by 30% since 2000. 

• Company-wide, including all facilities, Kroger has saved more than 2.2 billion kilowatt hours.

Cincinnati -- In its fifth annual sustainability report, released Tuesday, The Kroger Co. said it continues to meet its benchmarks, including reducing in-store energy consumption by 30%.

"In 2010, Kroger stores saved enough energy to power the city of Fort Worth for a full year,” said Rodney McMullen, president and COO of Kroger. “We sent less waste to landfills, recycled more plastic, and provided our customers with five million more reusable bags.”

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Wal-Mart Stores announced that it has completed its investment for a 51% stake in South African-based Massmart Holdings Limited for ZAR148 per Massmart ordinary share.

Massmart will continue to trade on the JSE Limited to provide Massmart shareholders with the ability to participate in the growth opportunity of the combined entity.