A few weeks ago, The New York Times ran a story on the front page of the business section under the headline “Unexpected Ally Helps Walmart Cut Waste.”
The retailer’s accomplice, readers of the article learned, is the
Environmental Defense Fund, one of the largest and most influential
environmental groups in the country. EDF has been working closely with
Walmart on its sustainability efforts since 2005, and has even opened an
office in Bentonville, Ark., where Walmart is headquartered.
The Times noted that EDF “does not accept contributions from
Walmart or other corporations it works with.” EDF itself often mentions
this when the subject of Walmart comes up, making note of it on its website, as well as in blog posts and other communications about its work with the company.
But, while it’s true that Walmart does not fund EDF (either directly or through its internal, company-run foundation), the environmental group does receive an awful lot of money from the Walton Family Foundation.
