BENTONVILLE, Ark., Feb., 20, 2006 – As part of its continuing commitment to offering sustainable products at affordable prices to its customers, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. has partnered with Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., to develop the first RoHS (Restriction on Hazardous Substance) laptop available in the U. S. retail channel. In 2005, Wal-Mart announced a corporate goal of taking a leadership role in business sustainability, with a focus on climate, waste, and the products it sells.
RoHS (Restriction on Hazardous Substance) is an environmental directive adopted by the European Parliament that will become effective on July 1, 2006 in European markets The directive restricts the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment. Although there is no requirement in the United States for manufacturers to achieve the RoHS standard, Wal-Mart has taken the proactive stance of encouraging computer suppliers to restrict the quantities of hazardous substances in their products, including lead, cadmium, mercury and other substances identified by the RoHS directive. The Toshiba laptop is the first of such efforts. All personal computers sold at Wal-Mart will meet the RoHS standard by July 2006.
“Wal-Mart is bringing best practices to the U.S. for the betterment of the environment and our communities. Partnering with Toshiba to make this product available in the U.S. is the first of many upcoming initiatives and demonstrates our commitment to working with our suppliers to find innovative ways to protect our customers and the world we live in,” said John Kooy, Wal-Mart’s vice president of electronics. “A growing number of our customers are committed to protecting and sustaining our environment, and we felt it was important for Wal-Mart to move quickly to offer them a laptop that meets their needs, while exceeding U.S. environmental requirements.”
According to Green Star®, a non-profit organization that encourages businesses to practice waste reduction, energy conservation and pollution prevention, each computer or television that is discarded contains 4 to 8 pounds of lead. Due to this, consumer electronics constitute 40% of the lead found in landfills.
“We also take very seriously Wal-Mart’s leadership position as a retailer,” continued Kooy. Collaborating with Toshiba to make this computer available is a direct outcome of the work of our collaborative Sustainable Value Networks, which bring together Wal-Mart, environmental organizations, suppliers and other thought leaders from government and academia to find ways to incorporate sustainability into the supply chain.”
The Satellite A55-S1064 includes a 1.60-GHz Intel® Celeron® M Processor1 380, 512 MB DDR2 memory2, 40 GB hard drive3, a 15-inch TruBrite™-enhanced display, a CD-RW/DVD-ROM optical drive and built-in Atheros® 802.11 b/g wireless4 LAN. In addition, the Satellite A55 comes with a one-year standard limited warranty. It will be priced in most markets at less than $700. For more information on this product please see www.walmartstores.com.
“The launch of an RoHS-compatible notebook computer sold through the world’s largest retailer is part of Toshiba’s overall commitment to the environment,” said Jeff Barney, vice president of marketing, Digital Products Division (DPD), Toshiba America Information Systems. “Toshiba DPD believes strongly in ensuring all our notebooks are compatible with the RoHS standard.”
The partnership with Toshiba is one of many initiatives that reflect Wal-Mart’s commitment to leadership in business sustainability. The scope and scale of the company’s business presents great potential to effect positive change. Through its business sustainability program, Wal-Mart takes advantage of and creates opportunities both to influence its own operations and to lead change in the business world at large.
As part of its mission to improve the quality of life for people around the world, Wal-Mart has committed to taking a leadership position in the areas of climate and renewable energy, waste reduction and recycling, and the development of sustainable products.
Learn more about Wal-Mart’s business sustainability initiatives at www.walmartstores.com.
About Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. operates Wal-Mart Stores, Supercenters, Neighborhood Markets and SAM’S CLUB locations in the United States. The company also operates in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Germany, Guatemala, Honduras, Japan, Mexico, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, South Korea and the United Kingdom. The company’s securities are listed on the New York and Pacific stock exchanges under the symbol WMT. Online merchandise sales are available at www.walmart.com and www.samsclub.com.
About RoHS
RoHS is Directive 2002/95/EC of the European Parliament with the goal to reduce the use of lead, cadmium, mercury, hexavalent chromium and both polybrominated biphenyl (PBB) and polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) flame retardants in the production of new electrical and electronic equipment. This regulation goes into effect on July 1, 2006 in European Markets. There is no such requirement for the United States of America.
About Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc. (TAIS)
Headquartered in Irvine, Calif., TAIS comprises three divisions: Digital Products, Digital Solutions and Storage Device. Together, the three divisions provide mobile products and solutions, Internet access plans, communications, storage and imaging products and services. Products include industry-leading portable computers, projectors, DVD/CD recordable products and hard disk drives, telephony products, digital imaging systems, wireless solutions and services.
TAIS provides sales, marketing and services for its wide range of information products in the United States and Latin America. TAIS is an independently operated company owned by Toshiba America, Inc., a subsidiary of Toshiba Corporation, a world leader in high technology and integrated manufacturing of electrical and electronic components, products and systems. Toshiba has global sales of over $52 billion and more than 300 subsidiaries and affiliates worldwide. For more information, visit the company’s Web site at www.toshiba.com.
# # #1 Processor. CPU performance may vary. See Processor Legal Footnote at www.info.toshiba.com.
2 Memory. Memory size may vary. See Memory Legal Footnote at www.info.toshiba.com.
3 Hard Disk Drive Capacity. Hard drive capacity may vary. 1 Gigabyte (GB) means 1000 x 1000 x 1000 = 1,000,000,000 bytes using powers of 10. See Hard Disk Drive Capacity Legal Footnote at www.info.toshiba.com.
4 Wireless. May require purchase of additional software, external hardware, or services. Transmission speeds may vary. See Wireless Legal Footnote at www.info.toshiba.com