Like it or hate it, Walmart has become a central retailer in nearly every city in America, and the empire doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. Known for being a one-stop-shop with everything at ultra-low prices, Walmart is hoping to also add “environmentally sustainable” to its reputation. In particular, Walmart has reinvented its packaging goals to generate more excitement and passion around sustainable packaging with vendors, packaging suppliers, store buyers, and customers alike. The new goals are to optimize design, source sustainably, and support recycling.
The 2016 Walmart Sustainable Packaging Summit kicked off at the end of October with a loud and clear message that sustainable packaging must remain a priority for the retail giant and all of its partners. We all know that our environment cannot sustain human consumption at current rates, so it is largely up to major corporations like Walmart to make changes that will improve sustainability and pass those benefits onto the consumer.
Walmart’s plans to meet its goal of supporting recycling by rolling out How2Recycle labels on Great Value and Equate products sold nationwide in Walmart and Sam’s Club stores. How2Recycle is a standardized labeling system already utilized by companies like Nestle and Target to help the public properly recycle their products. Each label succinctly explains how to prepare for recycling, if it can be recycled through traditional means, and which recycling format must be used. This new initiative was implemented after Walmart determined that two-thirds of customers don’t recycle empty packages, ultimately causing massive waste that shouldn’t end up in landfills.
Walmart will also work to utilize packages with more flute options and thinner liner board in corrugated packaging. This will simultaneously boost overall compression strength while saving material and reducing damages. It’s something already done widely in Europe with great success, so Walmart is ready to bring those tactics to North America.
As Ron Sasine, principal of boutique consultancy Hudson Windsor summarized, “By reigniting this effort, Walmart can place a stake in the ground and require its supply chain partners to up their game.”