Walmart Steps Up Sustainable Chemistry Policy

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% by 2022, becoming the first U.S. retailer to set a time bound reduction goal. Consumables products include items like household cleaners, cosmetics and skin care 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.”

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.