At Walmart, sustainable packaging embraces the concept of a “circular economy,” which moves away from a “take-make-dispose” approach to one that values the reuse and regeneration of materials and energy. We’ve extended our zero waste aspiration beyond our own operations to include our whole supply chain. Is your business ready to make more sustainable packaging choices?
As part of your Project Gigaton™ efforts, help drive change by focusing on 1) design optimization, 2) sourcing sustainably and 3) supporting recycling. Walmart has specific goals focused on our private brand packaging and we recommend all suppliers review Walmart's Zero Plastic Waste Aspiration when setting a Project Gigaton™ goal. For example, you could commit to:
The above goals are illustrative examples only. You’ll need to determine the scope, timeline and type of goal that makes sense for your company and products. After joining Project Gigaton™, you’ll be asked to report on your progress annually so the impact can be recognized and attributed toward the Project Gigaton™ target.
Practical guidance on setting a packaging goal.As you consider your goal, make sure to check out the Project Gigaton™ Calculators , which may help you identify potential goal areas in each pillar and estimate the emissions impact of your work.
As you look to develop your packaging target, please consider the sustainable packaging priority areas outlined in the Walmart Sustainable Packaging Position Statement and Playbook .
In addition to identifying common opportunities for packaging improvement, the Walmart Sustainable Packaging Position Statement and Playbook provides best practices, additional guidance and resources for each of these areas. Establishing a packaging commitment will be unique for each company. However, the below may be helpful as you evaluate your current status and develop plans for improvement:
If you're interested in addressing the recyclability of your packaging and/or integrating recycled content, the information in Walmart's Recycling Playbook may be able to help. The Walmart Recycling Playbook is presented by packaging format (i.e., PET bottle, HDPE bottle, etc.) and is focused on the most common packaging formats found in Walmart stores. For each major packaging format, we have provided information designed to inform on the recyclability of particular design elements based on existing infrastructure. Walmart encourages all suppliers to take a lifecycle perspective when seeking to optimize package design, and to consider using consumer-friendly recycling labels, like the How2Recycle® label for customer education.
If you’d like to work to optimize design and source sustainably for your packaging, tools such as the COMPASS (Comparative Packaging Assessment) tool may help to evaluate the greenhouse gas impact of common changes such as: