Sustainability Leaders Shop*
To help customers identify and purchase products from participating suppliers that are leading in sustainability, we launched the Sustainability Leaders Shop in February 2015. The shop is an outcome of a collaboration between Walmart and The Sustainability Consortium (TSC). Over the past several years, Walmart and TSC have worked with suppliers and several leading nonprofit organizations to build the infrastructure that drives the shop.
U.S. Manufacturing Commitment
Walmart U.S. customers have told us they care about fostering U.S. manufacturing jobs and believe Walmart can play a role by sourcing more products from the U.S. We engaged with many, including mayors, entrepreneurs, suppliers, financial institutions and manufacturing experts to come up with our commitment to source an incremental $250 billion in U.S. products over 10 years.
Healthier Food Options
Customers have let us know they care deeply about what they eat and want better options at the prices they’ve come to expect from Walmart. So Wild Oats relaunched at Walmart in April with a new, more affordable price point on quality organic products covering a broad variety of categories — from salsa and pasta sauce to quinoa and chicken broth. We have also saved our customers $1.09 billion in FY2015 by offering low prices on fruits and vegetables.
Opportunity Initiative
In addition to creating outstanding development and advancement opportunities for Walmart associates, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation made a $100 million commitment to help increase the economic mobility of entry-level workers in the retail and adjacent sectors. We’re collaborating with many education providers, employers, nonprofits, government organizations and retail workers in this effort.
R!SE Project Forum
In September 2014, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation co-hosted a two-day United Nations global project forum on disaster resiliency at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Ark. The event engaged practitioners from the private sector, public sector and civil society from around the world in discussions about how communities can become more resilient.
Customer Savings
Walmart worked with the Canadian government and the European Union to reduce the interchange fees that banks charge retailers when customers use credit cards. In the agreement reached in Canada and under the legislation adopted in the European Union, retailers will pay millions of dollars less in fees and be able to pass savings directly on to customers.
U.S. Manufacturing Summit
In August, Walmart hosted the U.S. Manufacturing Summit in Denver. In addition to hearing from Walmart executives, government leaders and industry experts, we provided a forum for meetings between suppliers and various state representatives and economic development organizations. There was also an opportunity for meetings between suppliers and raw material and component providers, as well as investors and financial institutions.
Renewable Energy Buyers’ Principles
We’ve come a long way since our first on-site solar project in the U.S. in 2005 and our first large-scale wind power agreement in Mexico in 2006. But there’s more we can do to help others access renewable energy, too. For the second year, we contributed to the development of the Corporate Renewable Energy Buyers’ Principles. This effort, co-facilitated by the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), helps frame the challenges and common needs faced by large renewable energy buyers to offer a new perspective on the future of energy and electricity.
Closed Loop Fund
To help improve recycling rates across the U.S., at our Product Sustainability Expo in April 2014, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation joined 3M, Coca-Cola, Colgate-Palmolive, Goldman Sachs, Green Mountain, Johnson & Johnson Family of Consumer Companies, Keurig, PepsiCo and the PepsiCo Foundation, Procter & Gamble and Unilever to launch the Closed Loop Fund. By providing zero-percent-interest loans to private companies, the Closed Loop Fund will encourage investments in the infrastructure required to increase recycling.
CDP tools for suppliers
Through our work with CDP — an international organization working to prevent climate change and protect natural resources — our suppliers have access to a global platform for reporting climate strategies and data. This continues to drive improvement on the Sustainability Index and transparency into our supply chain.
Bangladesh Worker Safety
Through the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety, we have worked with other companies and organizations to improve conditions in factories in Bangladesh. Over the past year, the Alliance provided fire safety training to over 1 million factory employees and management, piloted a worker helpline and provided compensation for approximately 1,000 displaced workers.
U.S.-Africa engagement
With a retail footprint of almost 400 Massmart stores in 12 countries in Africa, Walmart is a member of the subcommittee on Trade and Supply Chain Development for President Obama’s Doing Business in Africa Council, making recommendations to the U.S. government on how to improve efficiencies on the continent and increase U.S.-Africa commercial engagement.
*The Sustainability Leaders badge does not make any representations about the environmental or social impact of an individual product. It means that a manufacturer is an industry leader in sustainability efforts in a product category.
