Costco Wholesale Corporation, commonly known as Costco, is a leading membership-only warehouse club headquartered in the United States. Founded in 1983, Costco has established a significant presence across North America, Europe, and Asia, offering a diverse range of products and services. The company operates in the retail industry, primarily focusing on bulk merchandise, groceries, electronics, and household goods. What sets Costco apart is its commitment to providing high-quality products at competitive prices, often through exclusive private-label brands like Kirkland Signature. With over 800 locations worldwide, Costco has garnered a loyal customer base, making it one of the largest retailers globally. Notable achievements include consistently ranking among the top retailers in the Fortune 500, reflecting its strong market position and dedication to customer satisfaction.
How does Costco Wholesale's carbon action stack up? DitchCarbon scores companies based on their carbon action and commitment to reducing emissions. Read about our methodology to learn more.
Mean score of companies in the Retail Trade Services industry. Comparing a company's score to the industry average can give you a sense of how well the company is doing compared to its peers.
Costco Wholesale's score of 40 is higher than 89% of the industry. This can give you a sense of how well the company is doing compared to its peers.
In 2023, Costco Wholesale reported carbon emissions of approximately 168,967,000 kg CO2e from Scope 3, specifically related to waste generated in operations. This figure highlights the company's ongoing efforts to monitor and manage its environmental impact, although comprehensive data for Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions for this year is not available. Looking back at previous years, Costco's emissions have varied significantly. In 2022, total emissions were about 174,055,286,000 kg CO2e, with Scope 1 emissions at approximately 1,405,640,000 kg CO2e and Scope 2 emissions around 1,418,244,000 kg CO2e. In 2021, the company reported total emissions of about 157,917,766,000 kg CO2e, with Scope 1 at approximately 1,218,381,000 kg CO2e and Scope 2 at about 1,418,244,000 kg CO2e. Costco has disclosed emissions across all three scopes (1, 2, and 3) in its sustainability reports, demonstrating a commitment to transparency. However, there are currently no specific reduction targets or initiatives outlined in the provided data. The absence of documented reduction targets suggests that while Costco is tracking its emissions, it may not have formalised commitments to reduce them at this time. Overall, Costco's emissions data reflects the company's substantial operational scale and the challenges of managing carbon footprints in the retail sector. As the company continues to evolve its sustainability strategies, further commitments and initiatives may emerge to address its climate impact more effectively.
Access structured emissions data, company-specific emission factors, and source documents
2007 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Scope 1 | 214,188,000 | 000,000,000 | 000,000,000 | 000,000,000 | 000,000,000 | 000,000,000 | 000,000,000 | 000,000,000 | - | - | - | - | 0,000,000,000 | 0,000,000,000 | 0,000,000,000 | - |
Scope 2 | 1,125,863,000 | 0,000,000,000 | 0,000,000,000 | 0,000,000,000 | 0,000,000,000 | 0,000,000,000 | 0,000,000,000 | 0,000,000,000 | - | - | - | - | 0,000,000,000 | 0,000,000,000 | 0,000,000,000 | - |
Scope 3 | - | 00,000,000 | 00,000,000 | 00,000,000 | 00,000,000 | 00,000,000 | 00,000,000 | 00,000,000 | - | - | - | - | 000,000,000,000 | 000,000,000,000 | 000,000,000,000 | 000,000,000 |
Companies disclose and commit to reducing emissions to show they are serious about reducing emissions impact over time. They can also help a company track its progress over time.
Costco Wholesale is not participating in any of the initiatives that we track. This may change over time as the company engages with new initiatives or updates its commitments. DitchCarbon will update this information as it becomes available.