Driver of Fresh Produce Sustainability: Walmart's Sustainability Commitments
Walmart, the world's largest retailer, has made significant strides in promoting sustainability across its operations. A central focus of these efforts is the fresh produce category, where the company has implemented numerous initiatives to enhance environmental stewardship, support local farming communities, and provide healthier options to its customers.
When Walmart makes a sustainability commitment, growers, processors, and shippers along the supply chain feel it—often in the form of sustainability reporting requirements. When reporting on labor practices or greenhouse gas emissions, it's easy to become disconnected from Walmart's larger sustainability goals and objectives. This is why we took the time to summarize Walmart’s commitments that are relevant to the fresh produce industry below.
Sustainable Agriculture Practices
One of Walmart's primary commitments in the fresh produce sector is to advance sustainable agriculture practices. The company encourages farmers to promote water conservation methods, reduce pesticide use, and enhance soil health. Walmart's 2025 goal is to source 20 key commodities more sustainably, including fresh produce such as leafy greens, strawberries, and stone fruits.
For example, Walmart is now requiring growers in its supply chain to adopt and verify they are using integrated pest management (IPM) techniques, which minimize the environmental impact of pesticides, protecting pollinators and ecosystems. Additionally, Walmart encourages the use of cover crops and crop rotation to maintain soil health and reduce the need for chemical fertilizers.
Supporting Local and Regional Farmers
Walmart has also committed to increasing the amount of produce sourced from local and regional farmers. This initiative supports local economies and reduces the carbon footprint associated with long-distance transportation of goods. By 2023, Walmart aimed to purchase $250 billion in products that support American jobs, including a significant portion from local agriculture.
With over 4,700 stores in the United States and thousands of produce SKUs, a high-functioning supply chain is a must. While Walmart leans on large national and international suppliers to meet the demand for produce, they also developed a “locally grown” program to prioritize sourcing from local and regional suppliers.
Reducing Food Waste
Food waste is a critical issue in the retail sector, and Walmart has prioritized tackling this problem. The company has set an ambitious goal to achieve zero waste in its operations in the U.S. and Canada by 2025. In the fresh produce category, this involves improving supply chain efficiency and enhancing inventory management to reduce spoilage.
Walmart partners with organizations like Feeding America to donate surplus produce to food banks and other charitable organizations. In 2022 alone, Walmart donated over 760 million pounds of food in the U.S., much of which was fresh produce. This not only helps those in need but also prevents food from ending up in landfills, where it contributes to greenhouse gas emissions.
Innovative Packaging Solutions
Another area where Walmart is making significant strides is in sustainable packaging. The company aims to achieve 100% recyclable, reusable, or industrially compostable packaging for its private brand products by 2025. For fresh produce, this means exploring and adopting sustainable packaging alternatives that can be recycled or composted.
At the end of 2022, 63% of Walmart’s global private brand packaging was recyclable, reusable or industrially compostable. These initiatives help reduce the overall environmental impact of packaging waste and align with the broader goal of creating a circular economy.
Climate Commitments
Walmart’s best-known sustainability program, Project Gigaton was established in 2017 with a goal to remove 1 billion metric tons (or 1 gigaton) of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions from their supply chain by 2030. With the help of their supply chain, Walmart reached this goal in 2023, and continues to expand both this program and its climate commitments.
Beginning in 2020 the company pledged to become a regenerative company, targeting zero emissions across its global operations without relying on carbon offsets by 2040.
In partnership with the Walmart Foundation, the retailer supports programs that promote climate-smart agriculture. These programs help farmers adopt practices that not only improve productivity but also enhance resilience to climate change, such as precision agriculture and water-efficient irrigation systems.
Labor
In addition to Walmart’s environmentally-focused commitments, they are also tackling labor issues. Through their Worker Dignity and Safety program, Walmart invites companies to set goals around ethical labor practices and to report their progress. They have also partnered on the Ethical Charter Implementation Program, which uses assessments and trainings to help advance responsible labor practices in the fresh produce supply chain.
Conclusion
Walmart's commitment to sustainability in the fresh produce category reflects its broader mission to drive positive change across the retail industry. Through sustainable agriculture practices, support for local farmers, food waste reduction, innovative packaging, and strong climate commitments, Walmart is working towards a healthier planet and a more resilient food system.
As Walmart drives towards its sustainability goals, the pressure will continue to mount for fresh produce growers, processers, and shippers. Whether it’s becoming IPM certified, adopting sustainable packaging, or embracing regenerative agriculture practices, Walmart’s suppliers will need to report their efforts through Walmart’s sustainability surveys, such as Project Gigaton, People Pillar, Private Brand Packaging Survey, Commodities Survey, and THESIS.
Need support?
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