The World Environment Center and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. are working together to foster cleaner production and improved energy efficiency practices among more than two dozen company suppliers in El Salvador and Guatemala.

The nonprofit organization that advances sustainable development and the retailing giant announced the partnership yesterday, the same day the project launched in Guatemala. The project launches in El Salvador tomorrow.

Dignitaries representing the respective host countries and their ministries of economy and environment, the U.S. Department of State, WEC, Wal-Mart, local business associations and other stakeholders attended ceremonies in yesterday and are expected to so again on Thursday.  

In the project that is funded through the State Department's "Cleaner Production Private Sector Partnerships" program, the WEC will work with small and medium-sized suppliers for Wal-Mart in the two countries.

The organization plans to provide technical assistance to help improve energy and water savings and reduce waste, raw material use and emissions. The technical assistance also applies to helping to put environmental management systems in place and assess financial resources.

The project is to be overseen by WEC's operations for Latin America in San Salvador.

The partnership is the latest in a series of Wal-Mart's efforts — domestic and international — to bring greater environmental responsibility to the operations of the company and its business partners.

Among the more sweeping moves on the international front was the company's announcement last fall of its global responsible sourcing initiative, which corporate leaders unveiled at their business summit in Beijing.

The project begun in Central America this week is intended to complement that effort, Hannah Smith, manager for Wal-Mart's international corporate affairs, told GreenBiz.

The company has worked with communities in Central America since 1998 through Wal-Mart Centroamérica. Projects have included partnering with local farmers, education and nutrition programs, disaster relief and help for disabled children.

Wal-Mart Centroamérica is the region's largest retailer, with 486 stores in Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica.