Retailer sets new goal for 10 percent priority chemical reduction by
2022
BENTONVILLE, Ark. -- (Business Wire)
Walmart is strengthening its sustainable chemistry policy for consumable
products, reaffirming the company’s work to increase transparency,
advance improved product formulations, and offer a larger sustainable
product selection for customers.
As part of the policy expansion, Walmart aims to reduce its consumables
chemical footprint for Walmart and Sam’s Clubs U.S. stores by 10 percent
by 2022, becoming the first U.S. retailer to set a time bound reduction
goal. Consumables products include items like household cleaners,
cosmetics and skincare items, and infant products, among others. The
goal applies to chemicals defined by the Walmart Priority Chemicals List
in its revised commitment.
“We know our customers are interested in what goes into products and how
they are made. It’s important for them, and we are advocating for them
by encouraging innovation and transparency into that process,” said Zach
Freeze, senior director of strategic initiatives for sustainability at
Walmart. “Our strengthened commitment provides more clarity on our
expectations for suppliers in working towards enhanced product
formulations and setting concrete benchmarks to check progress along the
way.”
Last month, Walmart became the first retailer to participate in the
Chemical Footprint Project survey, and publicly reports its progress
annually through the Global Responsibility Report and Sustainability
Hub. To date, the retailer’s suppliers have removed 96 percent of high
priority chemicals by volume weight from the consumables products sold
in Walmart U.S. stores, up from 95 percent last year.
Walmart’s work in sustainable chemistry ladders up to its aspirational
goal to sell products that sustain people and natural resources. This
work was recently recognized by Fortune’s
Change the World Ranking, as the company was listed as number
seven of 50 companies that are making social benefit part of their core
business.
“Walmart has set an industry precedent for targeting and measuring
reductions of chemicals of concern in its products,” said Boma
Brown-West, senior manager at the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF).
“Walmart demonstrates the Five
Pillars of Leadership on safer chemicals and encourages the
pursuit of safer products across the supply chain.”
The updates to Walmart’s commitment move beyond Walmart’s measures
already in place to promote transparency with clear ingredient labeling
and to encourage informed substitution with chemicals of concern by
reformulating products customers use in their everyday lives, while
maintaining the affordability they expect.
“Like Walmart, we know that today’s consumers want more information to
help them make informed choices,” said Jack McAneny, director of
sustainability at Procter & Gamble Co. (P&G). “That’s why
we’ve recently expanded our transparency commitment to include fragrance
ingredients across our product portfolio.”
Other key updates to the Walmart sustainable chemistry commitment
include:
- Transparency: Although not a new requirement, Walmart still
holds the expectation that suppliers will provide full ingredient
disclosure of priority chemicals both online and now on product
packages starting in 2018. Walmart looks to spur supplier transparency
in cleaning products with new ingredient information on packaging,
enabling customers to simply turn over the product and see ingredient
information, in many ways similar to what customers already see and
expect for food, beauty and personal care products.
- Enhanced Formulation: Walmart is adding two new regulatory
lists to its priority chemicals list to better address fragrance
allergens ingredients. In addition to its new chemical footprint
reduction goal, Walmart will also ask suppliers to verify the purity
of ingredients where contaminants of concern may exist.
- More Sustainable Products: Walmart looks to increase its
assortment of sustainably formulated products by encouraging use of
two additional third party verification programs that lend credibility
to green chemistry and safer substitutions. The Cradle
to Cradle (silver level and above) and EWG
Verified programs are being recognized as aligning with Walmart’s
commitment along with EPA Safer Choice. Additionally, Walmart is
expanding the scope of its original private brand expectations to now
include national brands.
Background
Walmart’s sustainable chemistry commitment, originally launched in 2013,
covers approximately 90,000 products from 700 suppliers. Walmart
consumables products include items like household cleaners, cosmetics
and skincare items, and infant products, among others.
The retailer worked with a variety of stakeholders — suppliers,
Environmental Defense Fund, EPA and others — to develop its sustainable
chemistry commitment and a system for tracking and monitoring progress.
By working with these stakeholders and reviewing a range of
authoritative and regulatory lists, Walmart landed on a list of priority
and high priority chemicals for targeted reduction.
Last year, Walmart released
the list of high priority chemicals and for the first time outlined
its progress to date on eliminating these substances from the products
sold on store shelves. The company reports on progress in its Global
Responsibility Report.
For more information on the Walmart Sustainable Chemistry Policy, please
visit the Walmart
Sustainability Hub.
About Walmart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) helps people around the world save
money and live better - anytime and anywhere - in retail stores, online,
and through their mobile devices 260 million customers and members visit
our more than 11,600 stores under 59 banners in 28 countries and
e-commerce websites in 11 countries. With fiscal year 2017 revenue of
$485.9 billion, Walmart employs approximately 2.3 million associates
worldwide. Walmart continues to be a leader in sustainability, corporate
philanthropy and employment opportunity. Additional information about
Walmart can be found by visiting http://corporate.walmart.com,
on Facebook at http://facebook.com/walmart
and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/walmart.
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170927005309/en/
Contacts:
Walmart Media Relations
Micah Ragland, 1-800-331-0085
news.walmart.com/reporter
Source: Walmart
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