Walmart aims to reduce environmental and social impacts of Private Brand and National Brand packaging, while maintaining our ability to deliver quality products to customers.
Below are supplemental resources to consider reviewing when designing new packaging, setting SMART goals, or measuring progress.
Walmart's Circular Connector
The Circular Connector is a new tool designed to bridge the gap between those who need sustainable packaging solutions and those who offer them. Sustainable packaging information can be submitted to Walmart for evaluation through this new tool and your packaging could be considered for use by our Walmart Private Brands. If you are an organization that designs more sustainable packaging solutions, or that supplies the ingredients or materials that are used in those solutions, please consider filling out the Project Intake Form through Walmart’s Circular Connector.
The Circular Connector also now offers a public download of packaging solutions that align with Walmart’s sustainable packaging goals Packaging solutions that do not align with Walmart goals will not be published on the Walmart Sustainability Hub or made available to Walmart associates or suppliers. Please refer to Walmart’s Recycling Playbook for examples of materials that are difficult to recycle and could disqualify your innovation from inclusion in the Circular Connector. Packaging assessments will be made by Walmart merchandising teams who will only contact you if they have further interest in your solution.
Measurement and Goal Setting
General Information
- SPC Goals: Database of industry commitments aimed at improving packaging sustainability
- COMPASS: Tool benchmarks design alternatives against sustainability metrics
- Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Global Commitment: Vision for a circular economy for plastic
- WWF’s ReSource plastic: Helps close the “how” gap for companies setting plastics commitments
- The Sustainability Consortium: Offers tools to address product sustainability KPIs
- Walmart Sustainable Packaging Playbook: Overview of best practices
Walmart Private Brand Packaging Survey
- Walmart Private Brand Packaging doc: Guides suppliers through the new survey
- Private Brand video: How to fill out the annual Walmart PB Packaging Survey
Support Recycling
Association of Plastic Recyclers
- APR Design for Recyclability Guidance
- APR Critical Guidance Recognition
- APR Webinar: Overview of Plastics Packaging
- APR Webinar: Why Is/Isn’t My Plastic Recyclable?
- APR Webinar: PET Packaging
- APR Webinar: HDPE and PP Packaging
- APR Webinar: Flexible Packaging (bags/wraps/films)
- APR Webinar: Using More PCR
Walmart
- Walmart Recycling Playbook: Resource for companies setting recyclable packaging goals
- Project Gigaton Calculators: Everything you need to calculate your emissions savings
How2Recycle
- How2Recycle system: Labeling system that communicates recycling instructions to public
- How2Recycle Member Platform: Tool to help members track, measure and improve
Source Sustainably
Recycled Content
- Walmart Recycling Playbook: Resource for companies setting recyclable packaging goals
- Project Gigaton Calculators: Everything you need to calculate your emissions savings
- SPC’s Design for Recycled Content Guide: For suppliers seeking to use recycled content
- APR Plastic Recycling Market Information and Services Directory
Compostable/Biodegradable
- SPC’s Biobased, Biodegradable, Compostable 101: Learn how they're different
- How2Compost: Next generation composting label
- BPI Certified Compostable Label: Process for certifying with Biodegradable Products Institute
- The SPC Position against Biodegradability Additives for Petroleum-Based Plastics
- APR Position Statement: Degradable Additives Use in Bottles, Forms, and Films
- Walmart Recycling Playbook: Resource for companies setting recyclable packaging goals
Optimizing Design
- Project Gigaton Calculators: Everything you need to calculate your emissions savings
- COMPASS: Tool benchmarks design alternatives against sustainability metrics
- EMF’s Reuse – Rethinking Packaging: Framework to understand reuse models
- ISTA: International Safe Transit Association focuses on concerns of transport packaging
- Walmart’s Sustainable Packaging Playbook: Overview of best practices
Plastic Reduction
- Plastic IQ: A free open access tool to help US companies make more informed decisions about their plastic packaging strategy to increase circularity and address plastic waste.
Goals
We’ve used the three-pronged strategy of use less plastic, recycle more, and support system-wide improvements to set sustainable packaging goals that we continue to work toward globally, across North America and in the U.S.
Progress
We continue to collaborate with suppliers customers and communities to push toward our global, North American and U.S. sustainable packaging goals. The following represents our progress as of the end of FY2020, estimated based on supplier reports of primary packaging.
Resources
Walmart aims to reduce environmental and social impacts of Private Brand and National Brand packaging, while maintaining our ability to deliver quality products to customers.
