Walmart has released a report detailing progress the US-based multinational retailer says it is making on implementing its ‘policy on sustainable chemistry in consumables’.
The company’s ‘Global Responsibility Report’, which outlines the retailer’s environmental and social activities for the past year, states that Walmart has reduced its use of high-priority chemicals by 95 per cent.
The Environmental Defence Fund (EDF), an international not-for-profit organisation focused on environmental problems, has been working with Walmart to phase out chemicals of concern from consumer products.
“EDF has been working with Walmart to phase out chemicals of concern in consumer products in the home and personal-care categories, because product changes at Walmart help shift the market to safer choices for consumers,” EDF Health Program Vice President Sarah Vogel said. “We believe that Walmart’s actions paired with the forthcoming additional transparency will be a powerful combination that empowers similar actions by other retailers and suppliers.”
EDF Supply Chain Director Michelle Mauthe Harvey says 80 per cent of Americans shop at Walmart and that when the retailer implemented the policy, businesses across the supply chain responded.
“Two and a half years later, Walmart is showing real progress on that commitment, to the benefit of us all,” she said. “That kind of corporate leadership not only moves dangerous chemicals off the shelf, it also helps meet consumer demand for safer ingredients industry-wide.”
Details about how this progress was made are expected to be posted on the Walmart Sustainability Hub website in coming weeks, along with the names of the high-priority chemicals that have been targeted for reduction or elimination.