Sustainable solutions are now being widely adopted by small to large businesses so that they can contribute to a safer, cleaner environment. Going green also helps strengthen their image with consumers, who are steadily becoming more concerned about conserving the Earth's natural resources. Walmart, which continued to rank number one on the Fortune 500 in 2016, is leading the charge toward sustainability by implementing eco-friendly cosmetic packaging.
Return To Sustainable Packaging
Last decade Walmart began a path toward sustainability and is now determined to accelerate toward going even more green, according to Hudson Windsor packaging consultant Ron Sasine at the Walmart Sustainable Packaging Summit on October 25, 2016. He was also Walmart's senior packaging director from 2009 to 2015, in which he was in charge of the company's design and execution of packaging.
Additionally, he oversaw the sourcing of the firm's largest global brands. While the company reached important milestones for reducing its carbon footprint by 2012, it still needs to improve its shipping efficiency and increase sustainable solutions for cosmetic packaging that makes more economic sense.
Walmart's Sustainability Strategy
At the 2016 Packaging Summit America's biggest retailer announced that sustainable packaging is a main priority. The conference outlined the company's sustainable packaging playbook, which was divided into the following innovative goals to maintain low costs:
- Source Sustainability
- Optimize Design
- Support Recycling
In order for this vision to materialize, the retailer will focus on several factors within each of these three primary areas. For source sustainability they will work on maximizing recycling while also exploring and improving renewable material. When it comes to optimizing design, Walmart will find better ways to produce the product and reduce materials at the same time. Support for recycling means they will look for design methods that lend themselves to recycling and they will communication with customers and suppliers about the need to recycle.
How Walmart Will Maximize Sustainability
Walmart will concentrate on designing its cosmetic packaging that meets product protection standards set by the International Safe Transit Authority (ISTA). Management will also study the damage history of products reported by consumers and address issues that need to be resolved. Here are the key areas that the company will address beyond protecting the protect in order to maximize sustainability:
- Material Reduction
- Increase Recycling and Renewable Content
- Remove Nonrenewable Content
- Plan Designs for Recycling
- Communicate Recyclability with Customers
By eliminating unnecessary packaging elements and layers, as well as reducing the amount of product materials, they will be able to ship lighter weight packages, which will cut costs and increase sustainability. Furthermore, they will pursue a shift to reusable containers. One way they will boost their recycle rate and amount of renewable materials will be to adhere to the principles of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification program and certify new/virgin tree fiber with the goal of zero net deforestation.
The key to improving renewable and sustainable qualities of materials will be to remove, reduce or restrict harmful chemicals, such as carcinogens, mutagens and other toxins. Any chemical known to scientists or suppliers to exhibit dangerous risks for human health or the environment will be considered for removal.
Specific chemicals to avoid will be polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or biodegradable additives in petroleum-based plastics (PET). Since roughly 30% of PET containers cannot be recycled due to labels and adhesives, Walmart will seek labels that are pressure sensitive and compatible with recycling, with design help from the Sustainable Packaging Coalition and the Association of Plastic Recyclers. Walmart will focus on meeting FTC Green Guides by using market research to decide what type of more sustainable labels to use for cosmetic packaging.
Packaging Waste Reduction
Retail stores have a tendency to accumulate packaging waste, due to deliveries of boxes that contain metal and plastic that ends up being discarded. Even though these materials are helpful in protecting products from damage during shipping, not all of them are necessary and can be reduced or eliminated. In the meantime, heavy wood pallets are steadily being phased out in favor of more lightweight recycled cardboards pallets. Manufacturers can help accelerate the march toward sustainability by communicating with suppliers about more efficient packaging solutions.
Analysis for Further Sustainability
A review of the entire business cycle will be necessary for Walmart and other environmentally-conscious organizations to continue achieving sustainability over time. Each step of the process has greater potential for enhancing eco-friendly goals. These five components can be summarized as:
- material sourcing
- manufacturing products
- distribution of merchandise to retail
- consumer usage
- recycling materials and end of life disposal
Walmart's Environmental Leadership Role
Since Walmart has taken a leadership role in pioneering sustainability for the retail industry, it is likely that many other companies will look to them for eco-friendly solutions. For example, Walmart is the nation's top corporation for solar panel installations, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA). Other large corporate pioneers of the solar revolution include Apple, Verizon, IKEA, FedEx and Costco. By using free energy from the sun, these companies are paving the way toward a brighter economic model for businesses to reach higher profit margins while helping reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Another example of Walmart taking the initiative on sustainability and more eco-friendly cosmetic packaging is their rollout of the How2Recycle (H2R) label for its private product lines. The company expects this labelling to be influential and standard for the consumer products industry. They also anticipate that their ecommerce packaging will have a significant impact that affects companies that engage in multi-channel distribution.
Conclusion
Walmart has gained an environmentally-friendly profile by striving for sustainability in its cosmetic packaging, as well as its designs for multiple brands. It is already an industry leader for renewable energy and is working to create even more efficient solutions that cut costs and increase profits. The company's immediate goals are to reduce the amount of packaging materials in its products, step up recycling efforts through design and replace toxic chemicals with greener selections.
Photo: "Leaf", Courtesy of Tony Austin, Flickr, (CC BY 2.0)
