2Sustain

In an ingenious move that brilliantly illustrates how closed loop systems can benefit both consumers and corporations, Walmart has introduced a new line of pet products that are made from the retail giant’s own recyclable waste materials.

A “closed loop system” uses customer recyclables in the manufacturing process of new products, and in this case, Walmart teamed up with Worldwise, Inc., a leading environmentally responsible consumer products company, to create PoochPlanet and SmartyKat pet products. Using a proprietary processing method Worldwise will make these pet products from the following Walmart materials:

• Bottles are being recycled into dog beds,

• Hangers are being turned into cat litter pans, scoops, and scratchers,

• Bags are being converated into cat littler liners, and

• Corrugated cardboard is being processed into cat scratchers.

“This program will set a new standard for consumers looking for products that are better for themselves, their pocketbooks, and their planet,” said Aaron Lamstein, Executive Chairman for Worldwise. Inc. “We believe this has the potential to spark a revolution in how manufacturers and retailers can work collaboratively to offer better products for its customers.” (more…)

In an effort to improve inventory accuracy and on-shelf availability, Walmart has reinvigorated its EPC radio frequency identification (RFID) program, this time focusing on specific men’s apparel (jeans, socks, undershirts and underwear).

Walmart has been working with suppliers of denim products and men’s basics for the past eight months to develop a process that enables suppliers to tag goods at the point of manufacture. That way, the suppliers can benefit from the program, as well, according to RFID Journal.

Once the apparel items are tagged, Walmart can use the RFID technology to get information at any one of a number of different destinations: at the loading dock, in the stock room, and on the sales floor, e.g. Pilots with this system show it improves inventory accuracy and on-shelf availability,  Myron Burke, Walmart’s director of store innovation and the person leading the retailer’s EPC program in the United States, said in the article. (more…)

Walmart Canada has announced a new Sustainable Seafood Policy which will ensure that by 2013, only sustainably-sourced fish will be sold in its stores.

The new policy is comprehensive and will cover all frozen, wild and farmed fish. Specifically, the company plans to: (more…)

Top retailers like Walmart, Tesco and Marks & Spencer are asking their suppliers to report on sustainability programs and provide customers with “greener” products, and now consumer goods companies are scrambling for ways to respond to these rapidly evolving lists of requirements.

Yesterday, Five Winds International, one of North America’s largest and most experienced consulting firms devoted to sustainability management, launched a website to help. The company researched retailers’ programs and developed specific tools to help suppliers understand how to get ahead of retailers’ requirements.
Designed specifically for brand managers and sustainability managers at consumer goods manufacturers, the new website includes: (more…)

Yesterday, Walmart announced a goal to eliminate 20 million metric tons of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from its global supply chain by the end of 2015.

The footprint of Walmart’s global supply chain is many times larger than its operational footprint, and so it represents a much more significant opportunity to reduce emissions. In fact, the ambitious goal announced yesterday represents one and a half times the company’s estimated global carbon footprint growth over the next five years and is the equivalent of taking more than 3.8 million cars off the road for a year.

Walmart collaborated with Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) to develop this innovative approach which looks at the supply chain on a global scale. After all, as the EDF website says:

Walmart’s supply chain is where the action is. It’s the biggest possible lever that Walmart could bring to the table. Walmart will work with suppliers to reduce their emissions – which they otherwise might not do – resulting in positive ripple effects around the globe.

This new program to reduce GHGs has three main components: (more…)