Russian Journal of LinguisticsRussian Journal of LinguisticsRussian Journal of Linguistics2687-00882686-8024Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia named after Patrice Lumumba (RUDN University)1540710.22363/2312-9182-2017-21-1-105-125ArticlesСтатьиArticlesResearch ArticleShopping as ‘Best Practice’ - Analyzing Walmart’s Debated Sustainability Policies«Передовой опыт» Уолмарта: анализ неоднозначной экополитики)AbbamonteLuciaАббамонтеЛючияlucia.abbamonte@unina2.itCavaliereFlaviaКавальериФлавияfcavalie@unina.itSecond University of NaplesВторой Университет НеаполяUniversity of Naples Federico IIНеаполитанский университет имени Фридриха II15122017211Discourse Analysis in the 21 st Century: Theory an d Practice (II)Дискурс-анализ в 21 веке: теория и практика (II)10512525022017Copyright ©; 2017, Abbamonte L., Cavaliere F.Copyright ©; 2017, Аббамонте Л., Кавальери Ф.Copyright ©; 2017, Abbamonte L., Cavaliere F.2017Abbamonte L., Cavaliere F.Аббамонте Л., Кавальери Ф.Abbamonte L., Cavaliere F.https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0https://journals.rudn.ru/linguistics/article/view/15407Nowadays, companies who want to engage environment-friendly consumers increasingly rely on green-economy oriented campaigns. Such categories of (ethical) consumers are numerically increasing, and expressions evoking environmental friendliness are becoming particularly trendy. In this vein, words such as ‘sustainability’ have been variously recontextualized/reframed and have become an ‘ought to’ for media-savvy companies ‘with a vision’ - Walmart, the American multinational retail corporation, being a relevant case in point. It is no accident that, on the first Google page for ‘sustainability’, ‘Walmart’ proudly surfaces:http://corporate.walmart.com/global-responsibility/sustainability. The company has made an explicit commitment not just to expand the business but also to improve communities and enhance the sustainability of the products they sell, by encouraging more responsible production practices, while at the same time making product choices more affordable for customers, as reported on its website. However, as the world’s largest company, Walmart is an easy target for attack mainly by environmentalists. Sometimes, Walmart gives its critics grounds for some legitimate criticism in a variety of fields ranging from the supply chain emissions to renewable energy and preserving habitat. Such criticism resonates across the media, owing to their ‘lack of closure’ (Laclau and Mouffe 1985), finalized to offer an unbiased perspective. Against this ‘complexified’ (Macgilchrist 2007) background, our study aims to examine, from a broadly Multimodal and Positive Discourse Analysis perspective, the Walmart website ‘sustainability’ pages with their variety of communicative strategies, advertising ‘responsible’ Walmart positive attitudes to fundamental issues like Energy, Waste, Products and Responsible Sourcing.В настоящее время компании, желая привлечь внимание покупателей, заботящихся об окружающей среде, все чаще апеллируют к идеям экологичной экономики. Это обусловлено увеличением категории потребителей экопродукции и массовой популяризацией концепции «экологической безопасности». Термин «экологичность» постепенно становится основной смысловой единицей рекламных и медийных проектов всех перспективных компаний, так как способствует формированию позитивной корпоративной репутации. Международная американская сеть розничной торговли Уолмарт (Walmart) позиционирует себя как «зеленая компания» и активно использует методы экологичного маркетинга. Например, на первой странице поисковой системы Google по запросу «экологичность» выдается веб-адрес корпорации: http://corporate.walmart.com/global-responsibility/sustainability. На официальном сайте «Уолмарт» сообщается, что компания стремится не только к расширению бизнеса, но также озабочена состоянием окружающей среды и фундаментальными социальными проблемами. Тем не менее, в последнее время Уолмарт часто обвиняют в серьезных нарушениях экологических норм, в частности в сокрытии реального объема вредных выбросов в процессе использования возобновляемых источников энергии. Основной причиной столь острой критики является неспособность компании предложить адекватное решение существующих проблем (Laclau and Mouffe 1985). Все это вызывает большой резонанс среди общественности и СМИ. Несмотря на двойственный, противоречивый характер деятельности корпорации Уолмарт (Macgilchrist 2007), в данной статье подчеркиваются ее положительные аспекты, в частности позитивное отношение компании к таким значимым проблемам, как энергетика, отходы и др. В статье используется комплексный критический дискурс-анализ, с помощью которого изучаются нюансы стратегий маркетинга и брендинга. 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