SASB: FB-FR-430a.3, CG-AA-430a.2, CG-AA-430b.3, CG-AA-440a.3, CG-AA-440a.4, CG-HP-410a.1
GRI: 2-6, 3-3, 305-5, 417-1a
UN SDGs: 8, 12, 14, 15
E S | Published: May 31, 2023
Our Aspiration
Walmart aims to accelerate progress on the sustainability of our own assortment as well as product supply chains across the retail and consumer goods industry. We focus on environmental and social issues including climate, nature, waste, working conditions, responsible recruitment, and economic opportunity for people working in product supply chains, as well as the availability of affordable, safer, and healthier products.
Key Goals & Metrics
Goal | Metric | FY2021 | FY2022 | FY2023 | |
Climate | Reduce or avoid one billion metric tons (MT) of CO2e emissions in the global value chain by 2030 (Project Gigaton)1, 2 | Reduced or avoided CO2e emissions reported by suppliers cumulatively since CY2017 | >416 million MT | >574 million MT | >750 million MT |
| Reduced or avoided emissions reported by suppliers in reporting year (CO2e) | >186 million MT | >158 million MT | >175 million MT | ||
| Number of suppliers reporting | >1,500 | >2,500 | >3,000 | ||
| Percentage of U.S. product net sales dollars represented by reporting suppliers3 | 60% | >70% | ~75% | ||
Waste
| 20% private-brand plastic packaging in North America made from post-consumer recycled content by 20254, 5, 6 | Estimated percentage private-brand plastic packaging in North America made of post-consumer recycled content | CY2020: 11%7 | CY2021: 7% | CY2022: 7% |
| 17% global private-brand plastic packaging made from post-consumer recycled content by 20258 | Estimated percentage of global private-brand plastic packaging made of post-consumer recycled content | CY2020: 11%9 | CY2021: 7% | CY2022: 7% | |
| 100% of global private-brand packaging recyclable, reusable or industrially compostable by 2025 | Estimated percentage of global private-brand packaging that is recyclable, reusable or industrially compostable10 | CY2020: 54%11 | CY2021: 58% | CY2022: 63% | |
| Total weight of global plastic packaging | Estimated total weight of private-brand primary plastic packaging, including plastic bags12 | CY2020: ~1,200,000 MT13 | CY2021: ~1,100,000 MT | CY2022: ~1,100,000 MT | |
| Reduce virgin plastic in private-brand packaging 15% by 2025 (vs. 2020 baseline) | Percentage reduction (increase) in private-brand packaging virgin plastic, vs. prior year (based on supplier reports) | CY2021: (3)% | CY2022: (6)% | ||
| 100% of Walmart U.S. food and consumable private-brand primary packaging labeled with the How2Recycle® label by 2022 | Percentage of sales with label (How2Recycle® label) as reported by suppliers - Walmart U.S.14 | CY2020: 57% | CY2021: 80% | CY2022: 92% | |
| Percentage of Sam's Club private brand supplier-reported sales with How2Recycle® label | CY2020: 67% | CY2021: 84% | CY2022: 83% | ||
Goal: Source 20 commodities more sustainably by 2025 | |||||
Fresh & frozen seafood By 2025, all Walmart U.S., Sam’s Club U.S., Walmart Canada, Walmart Mexico and Walmart Central America fresh, frozen, farmed and wild-caught seafood suppliers will source from fisheries that are third-party certified as sustainable, actively working toward certification or engaged in a fishery improvement project (FIP) or Aquaculture Improvement Project (AIP)15 | Percentage of more sustainably sourced fresh and frozen, wild-caught and farmed, seafood, based on supplier reports | Walmart U.S.: ~100%. Sam’s Club U.S.: ~100% Walmart Canada: 89% Walmart Mexico: 61% Walmart Central America: 73%16 | Walmart U.S.: ~99% Sam's Club U.S.: ~99% Walmart Canada: 96% Walmart Mexico: 82% Walmart Central America: 76%17 | Walmart U.S.: ~96% Sam's Club U.S.: ~99% Walmart Canada: 93% Walmart Mexico: 89% Walmart Central America: 71%18 | |
| Percentage of wild-caught, fresh and frozen seafood more sustainably sourced, based on supplier reports | Walmart U.S.: 98% Sam’s Club U.S.: 100% Walmart Canada: 88% Walmart Mexico: 37% Walmart Central America: 22%19 | Walmart U.S.: 97% Sam’s Club U.S.: 99% Walmart Canada: 91% Walmart Mexico: 2% Walmart Central America: 42%20 | Walmart U.S.: 90% Sam’s Club U.S.: 98% Walmart Canada: 91% Walmart Mexico: 2% Walmart Central America: 9%21 | ||
| Percentage of fresh and frozen farmed seafood more sustainably sourced, based on supplier reports | Walmart U.S.: 100% Sam’s Club U.S.: 100% Walmart Mexico: 84% Walmart Central America: 83%22 | Walmart U.S.: 99% Sam’s Club U.S.: 99% Walmart Canada: 97% Walmart Mexico: 94% Walmart Central America: 81%23 | Walmart U.S.: 98% Sam’s Club U.S.: 99% Walmart Canada: 95% Walmart Mexico: 98% Walmart Central America: 76%24 | ||
Canned tuna By 2025, Walmart U.S., Sam’s Club U.S. and Walmart Canada will require all canned light and white tuna suppliers to source from fisheries that are third-party certified as sustainable, actively working toward certification, or engaged in a fishery improvement project (FIP) 25 | Percentage of canned tuna more sustainably sourced, based on supplier reports26 | Walmart U.S. (national and private brand): 35% Sam’s Club U.S.: 3% Walmart Canada: 34%27 | Walmart U.S. (national and private brand): 70% Sam’s Club U.S.: 50% Walmart Canada: 31%28 | Walmart U.S. (national and private brand): 95% Sam’s Club U.S.: 91% Walmart Canada: 40%29 | |
North American beef For Walmart U.S. and Sam’s Club, more sustainably source fresh beef by improving grain sourcing and grazing management practices across a total of 12 million acres | Number of acres involved in more sustainable grazing management practices, based on supplier reports | ~500,000 acres | 14.9 million acres | ||
South American beef 100% of fresh beef sold by Walmart Inc. sourced as deforestation and conversion-free by 2025 in accordance with our Forest Policy30 | Percentage of supplier-reported fresh beef volume sold by Walmart Inc. verified as deforestation and conversion-free | Walmart Chile: 91%30a Sam's Club U.S.: Forthcoming | |||
Coffee Source private brand coffee more sustainably | Percentage of private brand coffee net sales represented by products certified as more sustainably sourced, based on supplier reports31 | Walmart U.S.: 100% Sam’s Club U.S.: 92% Total Walmart U.S. and Sam’s Club U.S.: 98% | Walmart U.S.: 100% Sam’s Club U.S.: 93% Total Walmart U.S. and Sam’s Club U.S.: 98%32 | Walmart U.S.: 100% Sam’s Club U.S.: 93% Total Walmart U.S. and Sam’s Club U.S.: 98% | |
Tea Source 100% of Walmart U.S. private brand black and green tea bags and instant iced teas as certified | Percentage of private brand black and green tea bags and instant iced tea products that were certified as more sustainably sourced, based on supplier reports33 | 100%34 | 100% | ||
Cocoa Source private brand cocoa more sustainably | Percentage in-scope product Fair Trade U.S. or Rainforest Alliance Certified | 5% | |||
Bananas & pineapples Source 100% of all Cavendish bananas and pineapples sold in Walmart U.S. and Sam’s Club U.S. stores and clubs from farms that have received third-party certifications35 | Percentage of bananas and pineapples that were certified as more sustainably sourced, based on supplier reports36 | Walmart U.S. bananas: 92% Walmart U.S. pineapples: 89% Sam's Club U.S. bananas: 100% Sam's Club U.S. pineapples: 96% | Walmart U.S. bananas: 99% Walmart U.S. pineapples: 88% Sam's Club U.S. bananas: 99% Sam's Club U.S. pineapples: 82% | Walmart U.S. bananas: 95% Walmart U.S. pineapples: 97% Sam's Club U.S. bananas: 96% Sam's Club U.S. pineapples: 98% | |
Produce Apples, grapes, leafy greens, stone fruit, strawberries, and tomatoes Source produce more sustainably | Percentage of net sales in fresh produce and floral sourced from suppliers who have endorsed the Ethical Charter for National & Private Brands37 | Walmart U.S. apples: 100% Sam's Club U.S. apples: 100% Walmart U.S. grapes: 100% Sam's Club U.S. grapes: 100% Walmart U.S. leafy greens: 100% Sam's Club U.S. leafy greens: 100% Walmart U.S. stone fruit: 100% Sam's Club U.S. stone fruit: 100% Walmart U.S. strawberries: 100% Sam's Club U.S. strawberries: 100% Walmart U.S. tomatoes: 98% Sam's Club U.S. tomatoes: 100%38 | |||
Produce and floral Source 100% Walmart U.S. fresh produce and floral from suppliers who have endorsed the Ethical Charter by the end of 2022 | 69% | Walmart U.S.: 99% Sam's Club U.S.: 99%39 | |||
Apparel & home textiles By 2022, source apparel and home textile products sold in Walmart U.S. stores only from suppliers working with textile mills that use the Sustainable Apparel Coalition’s Higg Index Facility Environmental Module to measure and help improve environmental performance | Percentage of net product sales in apparel and soft home categories sourced from suppliers reporting that at least one facility that has completed the Sustainable Apparel Coalition’s Higg FEM assessment for Walmart U.S. | >82% | 94% | 96% | |
Cotton 100% of cotton volume for Walmart U.S., Sam's Club U.S., and Walmart Canada private brand apparel and home textile products sourced as more sustainable by 2025 | Percentage of cotton volume for Walmart U.S., Sam's Club U.S., and Walmart Canada private brand apparel and home textile products sourced as more sustainable cotton, based on supplier reports40 | Walmart U.S.: 68% | Walmart U.S.: 77% | Walmart U.S.: 76% Sam's Club U.S.: 51% Walmart Canada: 53%41 | |
Cellulosic fibers Ensure that none of the man-made cellulosic fibers sourced for Walmart U.S., Sam’s Club U.S., and Walmart Canada private brand apparel and home textile products are derived from ancient and endangered forests, or from endangered species’ habitats or other controversial sources42 | Percentage of man-made cellulosic fiber volume for Walmart U.S., Sam's Club U.S., and Walmart Canada private brand apparel and home textile products sourced from fiber producers with verified low risk of sourcing from ancient or endangered forests43 | Walmart U.S.: 29% Sam's Club U.S.: 48% Walmart Canada: 10% | Walmart U.S.: 31% Sam's Club U.S.: 15% Walmart Canada: No data44 | ||
Polyester 50% of polyester volume for Walmart U.S., Sam's Club U.S., and Walmart Canada private brand apparel and home textile products sourced as recycled polyester by 2025 | Percentage of polyester volume for Walmart U.S., Sam's Club U.S., and Walmart Canada private brand apparel and home textile products sourced as recycled polyester, based on supplier reports.45 | Walmart U.S.: 22% | Walmart U.S.: 27% Sam's Club U.S.: 14% Walmart Canada: 24%46 | Walmart U.S.: 25% Sam's Club U.S.: 36% Walmart Canada: 14% | |
Palm oil 100% of palm oil in Walmart private brand products sourced with no deforestation or conversion by 202547 | Percentage of supplier-reported palm oil volume in Walmart Inc. private brand products certified RSPO segregated or equivalent standards48 | ~90% certified (includes mass balance/equivalent or segregated/higher) | 4% certified segregated/higher 83% certified mass balance/equivalent49 | 8% certified segregated/higher 80% certified mass balance/equivalent | |
Pulp & paper Walmart private brand products made of pulp, paper, and timber will be sourced deforestation and conversion-free by 202550 | Percentage of supplier-reported pulp and paper volume in Walmart Inc. private brand products that is recyclable or certified as more sustainable51 | 90% | 92% | 87% | |
Row crops Encourage row crop suppliers to develop fertilizer optimization plans | Number of acres involved in more sustainable management practices for row crops (including soil and nutrient management, pest management, water management, land management, and priority area protection), based on supplier reports | >1.5 million acres | >3 million acres | >3.4 million acres52 | |
| Number of suppliers participating in fertilizer optimization or soil health plans | 24 | 50 | 55 | ||
Electronics Increase information, communication and technology sales from suppliers who implemented the RBA Code of Conduct | Percentage of Walmart U.S. information, communication and technology net sales from suppliers who implemented the RBA Code of Conduct53 | 87% | 79% | ||
Sustainable chemistry54 By 2022, we aim to reduce our footprint of priority chemicals in formulated consumables by 10% compared to our 2017 baseline55 | Number of formulated consumable products in scope sold by Walmart stores and Sam’s Clubs in the U.S. | CY2019: >145,000 | CY2020: >140,000 | CY2021: ~130,000 | |
| Percent change versus baseline year (2017) | 5% decrease | 17% decrease | 20% decrease | ||
| Total weight of priority chemicals | CY2019: 206.2 million lbs.56 | CY2020: 179.4 million lbs.57 | CY2021: 171.8 million lbs.58 | ||
| Priority chemical weight as a percent of total formulated consumables weight | CY2019: 1.85% | CY2020: 1.36% | CY2021: 1.39% | ||
Relevance to Our Business & Society
Retail supply chains bring quality, affordable products to consumers around the world. Sustainable, regenerative practices create value for companies and for society by increasing supply chain resilience and efficiency, improving product availability and quality, mitigating risk, and creating opportunities for workers.
Walmart expects that the products we purchase and sell are made in the right way by suppliers who act ethically and respect the dignity of workers. Walmart’s stakeholders—including our customers—have the same expectations. In addition, Walmart needs to be part of the solution to environmental challenges such as climate change and depletion of natural capital to maintain our license to operate, secure supply, and create value.
Walmart’s Approach
Walmart engages suppliers, customers, and NGOs across a wide range of product supply chains in support of climate, waste, nature, and people-related objectives. Because of the complexity of global supply chains and the systemic nature of issues, lasting improvement requires collaboration among many stakeholders.
To improve the sustainability of a given product supply chain, we start by listening to our customers and other stakeholders to set aspirations—such as emissions reduction or economic inclusion—and prioritize improvements to the product supply chain system, such as improved farming practices or commodity traceability. We make progress by:
- Setting standards and requirements for Walmart product sourcing
- Engaging Walmart suppliers to spark action, share best practices and tools, and encourage measurement and disclosure
- Leading and contributing to industry consortia and initiatives to accelerate collective action beyond Walmart
- Helping Walmart customers make informed choices
- Advocating for public policy that aligns with sustainable supply chain priorities
- Accelerating systems change beyond Walmart through philanthropic investments
Key Strategies & Progress
Product sourcing | Supplier engagement & support | Leading consortia | Customer engagement | Advocacy | Philanthropy
Walmart's systematic approach to promoting supply chain sustainability begins with setting aspirations relevant to our overall climate, waste, nature, and people-related agenda, aligning on priority outcomes and actions necessary to support those outcomes, and engaging suppliers and stakeholders to promote more sustainable sourcing and system-wide change. The key strategies and progress set forth in this brief are intended to provide an overview of our strategies across product supply chains; for more information about our climate change, waste, nature, and people-related agendas, please see the relevant issue briefs: Climate Change; Waste: Circular Economy; Regeneration of Natural Resources; People in Supply Chains; Safer, Healthier Food & Other Products; Human Rights.
Sustainable product supply chains: Walmart’s approach to systems change
Aspirations
- Emissions reduction
- Respect for human rights
- Natural capital regeneration
- Inclusive economic opportunity
- Zero waste
- Safer, healthier products
Priorities for systems change
- Alignment on standards and science
- Empowered workers, customers, communities
- Sustainable production practices: farming, fisheries. manufacturing, packaging, transportation
- Traceability and transparency
- An enabling policy environment
Walmart sustainability strategies: Example actions
Product sourcing requirements
- Requirements
- Standards for suppliers
- Responsible sourcing program
- Human Rights Statement
- Code of Conduct
Product specifications
- Issue-specific policies, including certification requirements
- Product and packaging specs
- Item-level data requirements
Inclusive sourcing/financing
- Supplier inclusion
- Direct farm, smallholder
- Made in USA
Supplier engagement & measurement programs
- Project Gigaton
- Collaboration platforms (e.g. Sustainable Chemistry)
- Playbooks, guides, and workshops (e.g. Packaging Playbook, Seafood Summit)
- Innovation pilots (e.g. reuse/refill, blockchain)
- THESIS sustainability KPIs
Industry consortia & initiatives
- Consumer Goods Forum (e.g. Plastic Waste) coalitions
- Leadership Group for Responsible Recruitment
- Seafood Task Force
- Ethical Charter with Produce Marketing Association and United Fresh
- Gigaton PPA
- Clean Beauty Shop
- Built for Better
- World Business Council for
Sustainable Development
Customer engagement
- Labeling (e.g. Great Value, Best if
Used By, Built for Better) - Campaigns (Fight Hunger. Spark
Change., recycling)
Advocacy
- Clean Energy Buyers Alliance
(CEBA) - Natural capital: Soy Moratorium,
Tropical Forest Alliance, Business
for Nature - Bali Process
- Race to Zero (RtZ)
Philanthropy*
- Strategic grants
- Program-related investments
- In-kind donations
- Communities of practice
*Philanthropy occurs through Walmart and Walmart Foundation
Place-Based Initiatives
- Landscape-scale, on-the-ground
efforts to address system-level
challenges
These strategies are tailored to specific sectors to reflect the greatest opportunities for Walmart to drive progress. Select priorities and initiatives are outlined below.
Product supply chain sustainability: Select priorities and strategies by product category | |||||
Consumables | Food | Apparel and Home | Entertainment and Hardlines | ||
Improvement Priorities | GHG emissions, packaging and product waste, deforestation and conversation, force labor and worker safety | ||||
Sustainable chemistry Clean Beauty Shop | Biodiversity Soil health, water management and agriculture inputs Animal welfare Food waste | Biodiversity Soil health, water management, and chemical management | |||
Strategies and Initiatives | Climate
| Engage suppliers on energy, nature, waste, packaging, transportation, product use and design through Project Gigaton Provide suppliers with tools and resources Lead consortia and advocate for public policy aligned with the Paris Climate Agreement | |||
Waste
| Transition private brand packaging to increase recyclability and post-consumer content Engage suppliers through Project Gigaton and provide playbooks and tools Lead consortia and advocate for public policy to promote circularity Engage customers on recycling and circularity Support philanthropic efforts in recycling infrastructure, materials, innovation and design, consumer behavior | ||||
| Circularity pilots | Engage suppliers and lead consortia on food waste Support philanthropic efforts in food waste prevention and recovery | Increase recycled fiber in products Promote reuse and upcycling Factory emissions, water usage, chemical discharge | Trade-in and refurbishment program | ||
Nature
| Set sourcing policies and position statements, including improvement practices, product specifications, and certification Engage suppliers through Project Gigaton Advocate for public policy to advance nature-related goals Support conversation and restoration and investments in traceability and transparency tools through philanthropy Support place-based initiatives | ||||
| Source RSPO-certified palm oil | Walmart U.S Pollinator Health Position Host sustainable commodity summits Encourage place-based sourcing initiatives Address animal welfare with suppliers | Source from suppliers using HIGG FEM Source more sustainable cotton and cellulosic fibers | Source certified deforestation-free pulp and paper Walmart U.S. Pollinator Health position | ||
Respect for Human Rights
| Promote responsible sourcing through standards, engagement, training, and monitoring Collaborate with suppliers and NGOs to promote responsible recruitment principles and recruiting Lead consortia to promote responsible recruitment and worker safety Philanthropically support demand for responsible labor, enhancement of certifications, improved transparency, and place-based initiatives | ||||
Promote supplier endorsement of the Ethical Charter Engage produce and seafood suppliers to set goals and report on responsible recruitment Seafood Task Force Consumer Goods Forum | Leverage Nirapon and LABS to improve factory safety Women’s empowerment | Promote alignment with the RBA code of Conduct Engage ICT suppliers to set goals and report on responsible recruitment | |||
Inclusive Economic Development
| Support US manufacturing through incremental spend Promote supplier inclusion through sourcing and financing Enhance supplier capacity and market access through sourcing and philanthropy | ||||
Safer, Healthier Products
| Reduce priority chemicals in formulated consumables Enhance product safety through standards, testing, training, and collaboration | Enhance food safety through standards, auditing, blockchain Promote nutrition and choice through reformulation, labelling, education, and expanded assortment Food as medicine | Enhance product safety through standards, testing, training and collaboration | ||
Product Sourcing
Sourcing requirements and specifications help to set the foundation for more sustainable products.
Standards and requirements: Our expectations of suppliers regarding the dignity of workers in the supply chain, environmental protection, food and product safety, and ethics and integrity are outlined in our Standards for Suppliers. In addition, we have several supplier compliance policies, including our Global Forced Labor Prevention Policy, Global Responsible Sourcing Policy, Global Food Safety Policy, and Global Product Safety Policy, that set specific requirements for the products we source and sell. Read more about Walmart’s approach to responsible sourcing: People in Supply Chains.
Sourcing specifications: For the products that Walmart carries, our merchants specify attributes in various ways, including:
- Issue-specific policies, guidelines, and position statements: Walmart has developed sourcing policies, guidelines, and position statements for seafood, apparel, plastic packaging, row crops, and animal welfare that ask suppliers to provide products to Walmart that meet specified criteria. Read more: Walmart Sustainability Hub and Walmart Policies and Guidance.
- Certifications: Certifications help Walmart and our suppliers by using objective criteria to measure the sustainability attributes of a product; they also communicate to consumers that our suppliers have met the applicable environmental and/or social sustainability standards of the certifying body. We have asked our suppliers to validate that particular commodities—including palm oil, pulp and paper, fresh and frozen seafood, tuna, coffee, and cotton—have been produced or/and harvested to specific certification standards. Read more: Regeneration of Natural Resources.
- Product and packaging specifications: For example, we have asked our private brand suppliers to work toward and report progress on our goal to use 100% recyclable, reusable, or industrially compostable packaging and achieve 17% post-consumer recycled content for our private brand products by 2025. Read more: Waste: Circular Economy.
- Place-based initiatives: We work with suppliers to source certain commodities from place-based efforts that help preserve natural ecosystems and improve livelihoods. For example, in 2022 we partnered with Prime Pursuits, AgSpire, and nine ranches in Nebraska, Oregon, Idaho and Texas to launch a pilot project covering over 748,000 acres of ranch land. The project provides technical assistance to ranchers in our supply chain to promote regenerative grazing practices with positive outcomes including improved soil health, carbon sequestration, increased wildlife and pollinator habitats, improved water quality, and improved ranch productivity and resilience. Other place-based initiatives include Great Value rice from Arkansas and tuna from the Republic of the Marshall Islands, respectively. Read more: Regeneration of Natural Resouces.
Floral, Produce
Floral, produce (apples, bananas, berries, grapes, leafy greens, pineapples, stone fruit, and
tomatoes)
Specialty Crops
Cocoa, coffee, and tea
Textile, Pulp, Paper, Timber
Cotton textiles, pulp, paper, and timber
Ingredients
U.S. corn, U.S. wheat, U.S. soy, South American soy, and palm oil
Proteins
Seafood (wild caught and farm raised), meat (South American beef, U.S. beef, pork), poultry, and dairy
Approach
Our approach to more sustainably sourcing these commodities includes:
- Encouraging our suppliers to adopt sustainable sourcing practices, including thorough product specifications and sourcing policies, as well as positions and policy statements
- Revamping sourcing specifications and requiring certifications where available and aligned with our aspirations
- Collaborating with suppliers, other retailers, NGOs, and others to improve practices across the sector
- Asking suppliers to measure and report against progress
- Supporting place-based sourcing in critical ecosystems
- Measuring and reporting transparently
Please see the Goal: Source 20 commodities more sustainably by 2025 section of the Key Goals and Metrics table at the top of this brief for more information on progress towards our sustainable commodities aspirations.
Measurement
We develop calculators to measure sustainable sourcing. Walmart may publish revisions to individual goals and metrics upon the receipt of more or better information; for example, based on the addition of new certification types. Challenges to the initiative include gathering supplier data of sufficient quality for robust reporting. Disclosures on select commodities, such as pork and poultry, are pending the finalization of improved calculators.
Supplier Engagement & Support
Walmart engages and supports suppliers in pursuing ambitious environmental and social initiatives in their product supply chains. Our intention is to inspire action on complex global problems by encouraging and assisting our suppliers to take first steps, disclose their progress, raise their aspirations, and expand their impact. We engage suppliers through dedicated platforms, best practice sharing, and accelerators. Examples include:
- Project Gigaton: Walmart's Project Gigaton platform invites suppliers to take action in six areas—Energy, Waste, Nature, Transportation, Packaging, and Product Use and Design—as a means of avoiding, reducing, or sequestering greenhouse gas emissions. While the initiative was created with an initial focus on greenhouse gas emissions, the platform today supports supplier action across additional supply chain sustainability issues, including nature and responsible recruitment. Through Project Gigaton, Walmart provides calculators to help set and report on goals within the initiative, workshops on best practices, and resources provided by Walmart or third parties. Since launch, more than 5,200 suppliers have signed up for Project Gigaton, and in FY2023, more than 3,000 suppliers reported reducing or avoiding >175M MT CO2e.
- Resources and best practices sharing: Walmart and the Walmart Foundation share tools and resources with suppliers to help them get started and accelerate progress. For instance, the Walmart Recycling Playbook, a publicly available resource developed in collaboration with The Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR), the Sustainable Packaging Coalition, and Pure Strategies, provides voluntary guidelines for streamlined packaging design, and the Responsible Labor Steering Committee, for which Walmart served as a Steering Committee member through the end of 2022, provides members with tools for forced labor due diligence. Additionally, the Walmart Foundation convenes suppliers, NGOs, and thought leaders to share best practices and inspire action, including helping to establish the Closed Loop Infrastructure Fund to finance projects that build out circular economy infrastructure in the United States via below-market rate loans and supporting the Recycling Partnership's establishment of the Center for Sustainable Behavior & Impact, which is building a database of community portraits that help identify key trends, attitudes, motivations, and barriers to recycling.
- Connections to accelerators: We help connect suppliers to programs that can help support and accelerate their sustainability ambitions and progress. For example, we created a collaborative power purchase agreement with Ørsted and Schneider Electric (Gigaton PPA) allowing Walmart suppliers to band together to purchase renewable energy; we launched a place-based initiatives connector to help suppliers identify and join place-based sourcing initiatives; we launched a Circular Connector to connect suppliers to more sustainable packaging solutions; and we worked with HSBC to create a program to provide improved financing access and terms for suppliers that reduce GHG emissions in at least one of Project Gigaton's six pillars.
To encourage progress on environmental and social sustainability issues across product lifecycles, we have asked our suppliers to report progress on KPIs through Project Gigaton and other measurement platforms, such as CDP for GHG emissions and forests. Approximately 79% of our U.S. product net sales were represented by suppliers who reported to one or more sustainability surveys.59
Industry Consortia & Initiatives
We collaborate with suppliers, peers, and others to accelerate progress toward addressing complex and systemic sustainability issues across supply chains. For instance, Walmart is a member of the Consumer Goods Forum (CGF), which brings together leading retailers and consumer goods manufacturers to address social and environmental issues. Walmart co-leads or is an active member of the following Coalitions of Action established by the CGF: Plastic Waste; Food Waste; Forest Positive; Global Food Safety Initiative; Human Rights – Working to End Forced Labor; Collaboration for Healthier Lives; and Product Data. Other coalitions by issue include:
- Climate: Walmart is a member of and leads several coalitions that align with our 1.5° Celsius-aligned ambition, including the Clean Energy Buyers Association and Clean Energy Demand initiative (collaborations that advocate for public policy and signal demand for clean energy); and Glasgow is Our Business (support for a successful COP26 agreement). Read more: Climate Change.
- Waste: Walmart helped launch and supported engagement in the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's Plastics Pacts in multiple countries to accelerate progress toward 100% reusable, recyclable and compostable packaging. In FY2021, Walmart also co-founded the Beyond the Bag initiative with Closed Loop Partners and a number of other retailers to develop innovative, industry-wide alternatives to single-use plastic bags. Read more: Waste: Circular Economy.
- Nature: Walmart engages with Business for Nature, a global organization that brings together business and conservation organizations to call for governments to adopt policies to reverse nature loss in this decade. Walmart is also a member of coalitions that foster progress toward our ambitions across our priority landscapes of Forests (WEF Tropical Forest Alliance, LEAF Coalition, the Consumer Goods Forum Forest Positive Coalition), Grasslands and Agriculture (Midwest Row Crop Collaborative, Field to Market: The Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture, Better Cotton, Sustainable Apparel Coalition), and Oceans (Seafood Task Force, Sustainable Fisheries Partnership). Read More: Regeneration of Natural Resources.
- People in supply chains: Walmart works with organizations that foster enhanced standards and practices relating to forced labor (Leadership Group for Responsible Recruitment, Seafood Task Force, Responsible Labor Initiative), working conditions (Ethical Charter on Responsible Labor Practices), and safety (Nirapon, Life and Building Safety Initiative), among others.
Customer Engagement
We believe that the everyday choice should be sustainable, so we work to make our overall assortment more sustainable through the strategies described throughout this brief. At the same time, we also want to make it easier for customers to identify products with sustainability attributes that align with their preferences. Examples include:
- Built for Better: Walmart U.S. launched Built for Better shopping icons to make it easier for customers to identify and shop for products that are built better—for them, for communities, and for the planet:
- Products that are eligible for the “Built for Better—For You” icon highlights food options that recognize products made without materials or ingredients you may not want, as informed by the latest nutrition science and standards.
- Products that are eligible for the “Built for Better—For Communities” icon are either made, grown, or assembled in the U.S., or are sourced from a certified women-owned business or a certified diverse-owned business.60
- Products that are eligible for the “Built for Better—For the Planet” icon meet independent standards that recognize one or more environmental benefits—like products that are responsibly sourced or products designed for a lesser impact on climate.61
Read more: Built for Better.
- Clean Beauty: Certain customers want to buy products that provide greater transparency into product formulations and products made without certain ingredients. Clean Beauty is an online shop that helps our customers find beauty products that are made without ingredients they may not want. Walmart’s Clean Beauty products are made without any of the 1,200 ingredients included on our Made Without List. To develop this list, we reviewed state and federal regulations, consulted suppliers, and called on experts such as the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF). As of May 2023, the platform offers more than 900 clean beauty products—with nearly 80% under $10.
- Member's Mark: In 2022, Sam’s Club relaunched its Members Mark™ brand as “Made with our Member and Planet in Mind"—an aspiration for all items to be of the highest quality while featuring a focus on people and planet. Sam’s Club aims to remove certain ingredients from Member’s Mark food and consumable products, while boosting its assortment of items that are made using practices that promote animal welfare, help support land and ocean health, mitigate deforestation, utilize more sustainable textiles, and come from renewable sources. It also aims to incorporate more recyclable, reusable, and industrially compostable components in Member’s Mark items and packaging. For more information, visit the Members Mark Aspiration webpage.
Additionally, we use in-store signage and encourage suppliers to label products to promote more sustainable purchasing and consuming practices. Examples include:
- Certification logos: Certified products typically carry the relevant certification logo on pack (e.g., MSC, Fair Trade USA, Rainforest Alliance, Forest Stewardship Council, Oeko Tex); in some cases, we use in-store signage to call out products with social or environmental attributes (e.g., certified seafood shelf signage for Walmart U.S.). As noted above, many products and commodities have achieved certification at or above 95%, including fresh and frozen seafood, bananas, and coffee.
- Recycling labels: We have asked our private brand suppliers to label our food and consumable product packaging with consumer-friendly recycling information, and we encourage our national brand suppliers to provide similar label information. Our goal is for 100% of Walmart U.S. private brand food and consumable packaging to include the How2Recycle® label by 2022; in FY2023 we achieved 92%. We also have a goal for 100% of Sam's Club U.S. private brand packaging to include the How2Recycle® label; in FY2023 we achieved 83%.
Advocacy
We advocate for public policies that align with our sustainable supply chain priorities. For example:
- Climate: We believe a strong climate strategy supports the resilience of our business and the communities we serve. Walmart is committed to policy advocacy aligned with the Paris Climate Agreement. Our Board-approved Statement on Climate Policy frames our advocacy around achieving 1.5° Celsius-aligned, science-based national and international climate policies that are consistent with achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 and that equitably addresses the needs of all stakeholders. Recent examples of our direct advocacy include meeting with lawmakers and advocating support for the climate provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act and engaging lawmakers to support the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Read more: Climate Change.
- Waste: In support of our ambition to break the link between consumption and waste, our public policy priorities focus on promoting extended producer responsibility legislation and plastics pollution cooperation. For example, at Climate Week NYC in September 2022, The Ellen MacArthur Foundation (EMF) and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) launched the Business Coalition for a Global Plastics Treaty to advocate for an ambitious plastics treaty. Walmart endorsed the vision and supported this coalition during the first negotiation meeting of the Global Plastics Treaty (INC1). The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) has also launched a new working group on the Plastics Treaty, of which Walmart is the chair. Read more: Waste: Circular Economy.
- Nature: Walmart supports public policies that promote regenerative approaches both directly and through engagement with trade associations. Recent activities we have undertaken in support of our aspiration to become a regenerative company include: conveying support for carbon pricing and technology-neutral approaches to decarbonize sectors like agriculture; supporting the Consumer Goods Forum’s Forest Positive Coalition of Action, which works with governments to support forest-positive policies that focus on Brazil, China, the European Union and Indonesia; and engaging the government of the Republic of the Marshall Islands in support of place-based initiatives that advance more sustainable seafood practices. Read more: Regeneration of Natural Resources.
- People in supply chains: We seek to act as a catalyst of positive transformation for the well-being of people working in consumer product supply chains, including by advocating to promote worker dignity in supply chains. Walmart has directly discussed with governments in Southeast Asia the need to enforce laws to reduce the prevalence of forced labor in the region, actions governments can take to address root causes of forced labor and ways governments can fill policy gaps relating to forced labor. We are also members of business organizations that engage governments on policy interventions relating to forced labor, including the Leadership Group for Responsible Recruitment and the Consumer Goods Forum. Finally, Walmart has worked with global business leaders to present policy recommendations to eliminate modern slavery to ministers of 40 countries in the Asia-Pacific as the United States Business representative for the Bali Process Government and Business Forum. Read more: People in Supply Chains.
Read more: Engagement in Public Policy.
Philanthropy
Walmart and the Walmart Foundation’s sustainable supply chain strategies seek to accelerate systems change through philanthropic investments, including grants and in-kind support. For example, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation have complemented Walmart's business initiatives through philanthropy aimed at:
- Nature: Investing in initiatives that support the preservation of nature such as forests, oceans, land, and water, including supporting the development of place-based and jurisdictional initiatives, including in the Northern Great Plains, Colombia, the western and central Pacific Ocean, Sumatra, and the Brazilian Amazon.
- Circularity: Developing insights into customer recycling patterns and behaviors and improving recycling infrastructure.
- Human rights: Focusing on strengthening demand for responsible labor practices, investing in data and transparency, enhancing worker and community voice and supporting strong policy and regulation, including promoting the responsible recruitment of workers by building capacity around the responsible recruitment of H-2A migrant workers through the Mexico/U.S. corridor to U.S. farms, developing tools for worker voice and technology for impact, and developing a responsible recruitment marketplace.
- Economic opportunity: Building capacity in supply chains, including in India, where Walmart and the Walmart Foundation have made grants of $39 million between 2018 and 2022 to support smallholder farmers and farmer producer organizations and announced a new commitment to fund projects in India designed to help build capacity and advance the economic livelihoods of one million smallholder farmers by 2028.
- Measurement: Developing tools to support actionable data and transparency in product supply chains, including tools for organizations working to increase the uptake of credible landscape standards in critical regions and to develop and pilot an open and collaboratively developed agricultural technology platform.
The above are only indicative examples. Read more about our philanthropic work to address systemic supply chain issues: Regeneration of Natural Resources, Waste: Circular economy, People in Supply Chains, Supplier Opportunity, and Human Rights. Additionally, information on all Walmart and Walmart Foundation grants of $25,000 and greater is available at Walmart.org.
Challenges
- Social and environmental challenges in supply chains are complex and are often the result of systemic issues including deeply entrenched economic practices and inconsistent government regulation and enforcement across countries in which products are made. These factors make it challenging for any single organization to have an impact.
- Walmart’s sustainable supply chain aspirations are dependent on the maturity, rigor and efficacy of third-party standards and initiatives, which require a critical mass of suppliers and retailers to align on common standards and best practices. For certain practices, there currently is no universal set of standards for responsible or more sustainable production and/or certification beyond compliance with the law (e.g., responsible recruitment, wage/hour). Furthermore, there are limits to the efficacy of tools used to monitor compliance with expectations. Similarly, gathering supplier data of sufficient quality can prove a challenge for robust reporting.
- The success of more sustainable product programs is dependent on suppliers’ capacity and willingness to meet high standards, as well as their performance and ability to scale practices across their own supply chains. Innovation in manufacturing, agriculture and other production technologies is necessary.
- Social and environmental issues in supply chains are often upstream and challenging to reach with traditional retailer oversight and monitoring tools. Lack of reliable data on the source/origin of certain commodities and product ingredients and the way they are produced—as well as the blending and commoditization of product inputs and ingredients—complicates matters. For example, the complexity and dynamic nature of end-to-end product supply chains make it nearly impossible to measure the GHG footprint of retail assortments with precision. The use of technology to improve transparency and traceability (e.g., blockchain, electronic vessel monitoring) can help, but adoption takes time and further innovation is necessary to meet these challenges.
- The breadth of Walmart's global product offerings and dispersed geographical reach of supply chains can present challenges for supplier engagement and nature-related risk identification and mitigation. Moreover, certain products can only be obtained from specific regions of the world, limiting options for alternative sources.
- Walmart’s ability to scale more sustainable options is dependent on customer preferences and demand (which can depend on the cost and convenience of such options) and the availability and cost of preferred products, ingredients, commodities and inputs. Growth and/or changes in our business can challenge our ability to meet customer demands consistent with our aspirations.
- The public policy environment in certain countries/regions does not support (and may undermine) more sustainable production at scale and at a reasonable cost.
- Pandemics, weather-related events, and political/social unrest can create supply/demand volatility and interrupt supply chains.
- Animal Welfare Position
- Animal Welfare – Swine Assurance Position
- Antibiotics in Farm Animals Position
- Cage-Free Egg Supply Position
- Environmental Sustainability Statement
- Forests Policy
- Global Forced Labor Prevention Policy
- Human Rights Statement
- Seafood Policy
- Standards for Suppliers
- Sustainable Row Crop Position
- Walmart U.S. Pollinator Health Position
- Climate change
- People in supply chains
- Regeneration of natural resources: forests, land, oceans
- Safer, healthier food & other products
- Supplier opportunity
- Waste: circular economy
- Walmart Sustainability Hub
1. Calculated in accordance with Walmart’s Project Gigaton Accounting Methodology, available on the Walmart Sustainability Hub. Suppliers submit information during a Project Gigaton reporting season; figures reported are for the reporting season that took place during the corresponding fiscal year.
2. Because Walmart does not restrict suppliers to reporting only on emissions avoidance and reduction efforts that are attributable to the suppliers’ business with Walmart, actions taken and reported through Project Gigaton cannot be used to measure Walmart’s Scope 3 emissions, either absolutely or in year-over-year reductions.
3. The U.S. product net sales figure used for the calculation includes Walmart U.S. and Sam’s Club product net sales for the previous four quarters (Q3 through Q2) prior to the start of the survey reporting window. The percentage represents U.S. product net sales of suppliers that reported to Project Gigaton in the reporting year versus all U.S. product net sales. The calculation excludes Walmart International segment product net sales from the calculation.
4. Calculations include all private brand plastic packaging and single-use plastic and reusable bags globally. For the time frame of the private brands packaging survey, we instructed suppliers to use their latest or most recent 12-month period for which they have data available. If they reported last year, use the same reporting period as the initial/prior reporting year to avoid gaps or overlap with the prior year’s submissions. "North America" refers to our businesses in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.
5. Packaging metrics are measured in weight and based on supplier reports through a supplier survey. Proxy data were calculated to provide data for suppliers that did not complete the survey or provided unusable data. Proxy data are meant to represent an estimate of how much packaging those suppliers / markets may utilize to provide an overall picture of Walmart’s entire packaging footprint. The calculation is based on supplier participation in the survey as a percentage of net sales and known packaging data. Walmart private brand suppliers representing 78% of Walmart global private brand net sales reported packaging data in 2020; in 2021 the figure was 80% and in 2022 the figure was 89%.
6. Walmart divested its business in Argentina in 2020 and its businesses in the U.K. and Japan in 2021. Because of the sale of Walmart’s Argentina business in late 2020, we were unable to capture sufficient packaging data for the Argentina market; to represent this market’s business in 2020, we used the 2018-2019 private brand packaging survey for Argentina. Walmart divested its businesses in the U.K. and Japan in early 2021; because the businesses were divested early in the year, we did not proxy packaging data for the time Walmart owned those businesses and the 2021 packaging figures represented here do not include the U.K. or Japan.
7. Previously, this percentage was reported as 9%; during our 2021 quality assurance review for our 2020 comparative period, we found 4 suppliers with reporting errors that affected our prior year's reporting.
8. Calculations include all private brand plastic packaging and single-use plastic and reusable bags globally. For the time frame of the private brands packaging survey, we instructed suppliers to use their latest or most recent 12-month period for which they have data available. If they reported last year, use the same reporting period as the initial/prior reporting year to avoid gaps or overlap with the prior year’s submissions. "Global" refers to all of our global retail businesses.
9. Previously, this percentage was reported as 9%; during our 2021 quality assurance review for our 2020 comparative period, we found 4 suppliers with reporting errors that affected our prior year reporting.
10. The 2020 and 2021 calculations follow the 2021 Reporting Guidelines for The New Plastics Global Commitment, and includes all private brand primary, secondary, and tertiary plastic packaging, including single-use plastic and reusable plastic bags globally. For the time frame of the private brands packaging survey, we instructed suppliers to use their latest or most recent 12-month period for which they have data available. If they reported last year, use the same reporting period as the initial/prior reporting year to avoid gaps or overlap with the prior year’s submissions. For suppliers that did not complete the survey or provided unusable data, proxy data was substituted to provide a full estimate of global private brand packaging. For the proxy calculation, a market level approach was used. The 2019 calculation includes all private brand plastic packaging and single‐use plastic and reusable bags globally.
11. Previously, this percentage was reported as 59%; during our 2021 quality assurance review for our 2020 comparative period, we found 4 suppliers with reporting errors that affected our prior year reporting.
12. The calculation includes all private brand plastic packaging and single‐use plastic and reusable bags globally. The estimation was calculated by extrapolating supplier‐reported packaging data (weight in metric tons) in relation to supplier participation percentage of net sales.
13. Previously, this was reported as 1,400,000 MT; during our 2021 quality assurance review for our 2020 comparative period, we found 4 suppliers with reporting errors that affected our prior year reporting.
14. Primary packaging is packaging that goes home with the consumer. This percentage excludes the net sales of private brand items that do not use primary packaging. For the time frame for the private brands packaging survey, we instructed suppliers to use their latest or most recent 12-month period for which they have data available. If they reported last year, use the same reporting period as the initial/prior reporting year to avoid gaps or overlap with the prior year’s submissions.
15. Tracked on the FishChoice platform, FisheryProgress.org. Publicly registered FIPs include FIPs and Pre-FIPs, both of which are registered with Fishsource.
16. Suppliers were asked to report through the Seafood Metrics System the total volume of the fresh and frozen, wild-caught and farmed, seafood shipped in FY2021 and the volume of that seafood that met Walmart’s requirements (certified by a designated program or in a FIP or AIP). Suppliers representing approximately 100% of Walmart US, 100% of Sam’s Club U.S., 96% of Canada, and 61% of Mexico national volume of fresh and frozen, wild-caught and farmed, seafood shipped in FY2021 responded. Reported volumes were validated against Sustainable Fisheries Partnership records and Walmart business data showing supplier shipments. Central America reporting is based on reports from suppliers representing 100% of Walmart Central America fresh and frozen, wild-caught and farmed seafood in CY2020.
17. Suppliers were asked to report through the Seafood Metrics System the total volume of the fresh and frozen, wild-caught and farmed, seafood shipped in FY2022 and the volume of that seafood that met Walmart’s requirements (certified by a designated program or in a FIP or AIP). Suppliers representing approximately 100% of Walmart U.S., 100% of Sam’s Club U.S., and 45% of Mexico volume of fresh and frozen, wild-caught and farmed, seafood shipped in FY2022 responded. Reported volumes were validated against Sustainable Fisheries Partnership records and Walmart business data showing supplier shipments. Central America reporting is based on reports from suppliers representing 100% of Walmart Central America fresh and frozen, wild-caught and farmed seafood in CY2021. Walmart Mexico's FY2022 reporting may not be comparable to prior years' reporting due to a change in methodology to include national and import suppliers in FY2022, with resulting impacts to both the scope of the calculation and supplier response rate.
18. Suppliers were asked to report through the Seafood Metrics System the total volume of the fresh and frozen, wild-caught and farmed, seafood shipped in FY2023 and the volume of that seafood that met Walmart’s requirements (certified by a designated program or in a FIP or AIP). Suppliers representing approximately 100% of Walmart U.S., 98% of Sam’s Club U.S., and 100% of Canada volume of fresh and frozen, wild-caught and farmed, seafood shipped in FY2023 responded. Reported volumes were validated against Sustainable Fisheries Partnership records and Walmart business data showing supplier shipments. Mexico and Central America reporting is based on reports from suppliers representing approximately 35% of Walmart Mexico and 100% of Walmart Central America fresh and frozen, wild-caught and farmed seafood in CY2022.
19. Suppliers were asked to report through the Seafood Metrics System the total volume of the fresh and frozen, wild-caught, seafood shipped in FY2021 and the volume of that seafood that met Walmart’s requirements (certified by a designated program or in a FIP). Suppliers representing approximately 100% of Walmart US, 100% of Sam’s Club U.S., 96% of Canada, and 61% of Mexico national volume of fresh and frozen, wild-caught, seafood shipped in FY2021 responded. Reported volumes were validated against Sustainable Fisheries Partnership records and Walmart business data showing supplier shipments. Central America reporting is based on reports from suppliers representing 100% of Walmart Central America fresh and frozen, wild-caught seafood in CY2020.
20. Suppliers were asked to report through the Seafood Metrics System the total volume of the fresh and frozen, wild-caught, seafood shipped in FY2022 and the volume of that seafood that met Walmart’s requirements (certified by a designated program or in a FIP or AIP). Suppliers representing approximately 100% of Walmart US, 100% of Sam’s Club U.S., 98% of Canada, and 45% of Mexico volume of fresh and frozen, wild-caught, seafood shipped in FY2022 responded. Reported volumes were validated against Sustainable Fisheries Partnership records and Walmart business data showing supplier shipments. Central America reporting is based on reports from suppliers representing 100% of Walmart Central America fresh and frozen, wild-caught seafood in CY2021. Walmart Mexico's FY2022 reporting may not be comparable to prior years' reporting due to a change in methodology to include national and import suppliers in FY2022, with resulting impacts to both the scope of the calculation and supplier response rate.
21. Suppliers were asked to report through the Seafood Metrics System the total volume of the fresh and frozen, wild-caught, seafood shipped in FY2023 and the volume of that seafood that met Walmart’s requirements (certified by a designated program or in a FIP or AIP). Suppliers representing approximately 100% of Walmart US, 98% of Sam’s Club U.S., and 100% of Canada volume of fresh and frozen, wild-caught, seafood shipped in FY2023 responded. Reported volumes were validated against Sustainable Fisheries Partnership records and Walmart business data showing supplier shipments. Mexico and Central America reporting is based on reports from suppliers representing approximately 35% of Walmart Mexico and 100% of Walmart Central America fresh and frozen, wild-caught seafood in CY2022. Central America’s percent certified fresh and frozen wild-caught seafood decreased in FY2023 due to lower availability of certified fresh and frozen wild-caught seafood and a strategic shift toward fresh and frozen farmed seafood.
22. Suppliers were asked to report through the Seafood Metrics System the total volume of the fresh and frozen, farmed, seafood shipped in FY2021 and the volume of that seafood that met Walmart’s requirements (certified by a designated program or in a FIP). Suppliers representing approximately 100% of Walmart US, 100% of Sam’s Club U.S., 96% of Canada, and 61% of Mexico national volume of fresh and frozen, farmed, seafood shipped in FY2021 responded. Reported volumes were validated against Sustainable Fisheries Partnership records and Walmart business data showing supplier shipments. Central America reporting is based on reports from suppliers representing 100% of Walmart Central America fresh and frozen, farmed seafood in CY2020.
23. Suppliers were asked to report through the Seafood Metrics System the total volume of the fresh and frozen, farmed, seafood shipped in FY2022 and the volume of that seafood that met Walmart’s requirements (certified by a designated program or in an AIP). Suppliers representing approximately 100% of Walmart US, 100% of Sam’s Club U.S., 98% of Canada, and 45% of Mexico volume of fresh and frozen, farmed, seafood shipped in FY2022 responded. Reported volumes were validated against Sustainable Fisheries Partnership records and Walmart business data showing supplier shipments. Central America reporting is based on reports from suppliers representing 100% of Walmart Central America fresh and frozen, farmed seafood in CY2021. Walmart Mexico's FY2022 reporting may not be comparable to prior years' reporting due to a change in methodology to include national and import suppliers in FY2022, with resulting impacts to both the scope of the calculation and supplier response rate.
24. Suppliers were asked to report through the Seafood Metrics System the total volume of the fresh and frozen, farmed, seafood shipped in FY2023 and the volume of that seafood that met Walmart’s requirements (certified by a designated program or in an AIP). Suppliers representing approximately 100% of Walmart US, 98% of Sam’s Club U.S., and 100% of Canada volume of fresh and frozen, farmed, seafood shipped in FY2023 responded. Reported volumes were validated against Sustainable Fisheries Partnership records and Walmart business data showing supplier shipments. Mexico and Central America reporting is based on reports from suppliers representing approximately 35% of Walmart Mexico and 100% of Walmart Central America fresh and frozen, farmed seafood in CY2022.
25. Based on price, availability, quality, customer demand, and unique regulatory environments across our global retail markets. Read the full Walmart Seafood Policy. As tracked on the FishChoice platform, FisheryProgress.org. Publicly registered FIPs include FIPs and Pre-FIPs, both of which are registered with Fishsource.
26. More sustainably sourced: Certified by a designated program or in a FIP.
27. Tuna suppliers were asked to report through the Seafood Metrics System the total volume of tuna shipped to Walmart in FY2021 and the volume of that product that met Walmart’s seafood policy requirements (certified by a designated program or in a FIP). Suppliers representing approximately 100% of Walmart U.S., 100% of Sam’s Club U.S., and 98% of Canada volume in FY2021 responded. Reported volumes were validated against Sustainable Fisheries Partnership records and Walmart business data showing supplier shipments. Walmart U.S. figures are for private brand and national brand tuna. Walmart U.S. and Sam’s Club U.S. figures are for all shelf-stable tuna (includes canned and pouched).
28. Tuna suppliers were asked to report through the Seafood Metrics System the total volume of tuna shipped to Walmart in FY2022 and the volume of that product that met Walmart’s seafood policy requirements (certified by a designated program or in a FIP). Suppliers representing approximately 95% of Walmart U.S. and 97% of Sam’s Club U.S. volume in FY2022 responded. Reported volumes were validated against Sustainable Fisheries Partnership records and Walmart business data showing supplier shipments. Walmart U.S. figures are for private brand and national brand tuna. Walmart U.S. and Sam’s Club U.S. figures are for all shelf-stable tuna (includes canned and pouched).
29. Tuna suppliers were asked to report through the Seafood Metrics System the total volume of tuna shipped to Walmart in FY2023 and the volume of that product that met Walmart’s seafood policy requirements (certified by a designated program or in a FIP). Suppliers representing approximately 99% of Walmart U.S., 100% of Sam’s Club U.S. volume in FY2023 responded, and suppliers representing approximately 100% of Walmart Canada volume of canned tuna shipped to Walmart Canada in FY2023 responded. Reported volumes were validated against Sustainable Fisheries Partnership records and Walmart business data showing supplier shipments. Walmart U.S. figures are for private brand and national brand tuna. Walmart U.S. and Sam’s Club U.S. figures are for all shelf-stable tuna (includes canned and pouched).
30. Suppliers sourcing beef for Walmart supply chains from the Brazilian Amazon and Cerrado and Gran Chaco biomes are requested to submit farm-level data to SafeTrace, a third-party geo-monitoring and verification company, to assess deforestation-free and conversion-free (DCF) production. Currently, suppliers have only submitted information for their direct supplying farms as reliable traceability information for indirect supplying farms is not yet available at scale across these priority geographies.
30a. Results only apply to farms that directly supply Walmart’s Chilean beef suppliers sourcing from the Brazilian Amazon and Cerrado, and the Gran Chaco in Argentina and Paraguay. Suppliers sourcing from these regions are requested to submit farm-level data to SafeTrace, a third-party geo-monitoring and verification company, to assess deforestation-free and conversion-free (DCF) production. Currently, suppliers have only submitted information for their direct supplying farms as reliable traceability information for indirect supplying farms is not yet available at scale across these priority geographies.
31. Walmart defines “more sustainable” coffee as coffee sourced as certified by Fair Trade, Rainforest Alliance Certified or UTZ.
32. Total Walmart U.S. and Sam’s Club U.S. certified more sustainable coffee was previously reported as 99%, and Sam’s Club certified more sustainable coffee was reported as 97%. During our FY2023 quality assurance review for our FY2022 comparative period, we identified a calculation error in our Sam's Club U.S. data and have restated our reporting to correct this error.
33. Walmart defines “more sustainable” tea as tea sourced as certified by Rainforest Alliance.
34. Covers tea sourced from July 1, 2021 through January 31, 2022
35. Certifications include Rainforest Alliance, Sustainably Grown and Fair Trade USA. Goal originally included Asda, Walmart’s U.K. business. Walmart divested its retail operations in the U.K. in February 2021. Going forward, we will no longer disclose progress for our divested operations.
36. Results do not include volume from spot buys. Spot buy pineapples and bananas may not qualify as certified “more sustainable.” Walmart defines “more sustainable” pineapples/bananas as pineapples/bananas that are certified by Rainforest Alliance, Sustainably Grown, or Fair Trade.
37. The U.S. product net sales figure used for the calculation includes Walmart U.S. and Sam’s Club product net sales for the previous four quarters (Q3 through Q2) prior to the start of the survey reporting window. The percentage represents U.S. product net sales of suppliers that reported to Project Gigaton in the reporting year versus all U.S. product net sales. The calculation excludes Walmart International segment product net sales from the calculation."
38. Results are limited to net sales of Walmart and Sam’s Club direct suppliers and do not include data from “spot buy” or “direct store delivery” suppliers. Direct suppliers represent 90% of Walmart US net sales of the relevant department, and 89% of Sam’s Club US net sales of the relevant department. ‘Leafy Greens’ includes all packaged salads and lettuce.
39. Results are limited to net sales of Walmart and Sam’s Club direct suppliers and do not include data from “spot buy” or “direct store delivery” suppliers. Direct suppliers represent 90% of Walmart US net sales of the relevant department, and 89% of Sam’s Club US net sales of the relevant department.
40. Walmart and Sam’s Club define “more sustainable” cotton as cotton sourced from Cotton USA, produced under the Better Cotton Standard, certified under a recognized certification program like Organic (i.e. Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) or Organic Cotton Standard (OCS)) or Fair Trade, or recycled. Supplier-reported data for total cotton volume sourced through one of the following: Cotton USA, Organic, Fair Trade USA, or Recycled Cotton. Results are based on supplier survey responses. FY2021 results are based on reports from suppliers that represented 91.2% of Walmart U.S. private brand apparel net sales and 85.7% of Walmart U.S. home textiles net sales. FY2022 results are based on reports from suppliers that represented 97.7% of Walmart US private brand apparel net sales and 94.4% of Walmart US private brand home textiles net sales. FY2023 results are based on results from suppliers that represent 90.2% of Walmart U.S., 93.9% of Sam’s Club U.S., and 88.6% of Walmart Canada private brand apparel net sales and 95.5% of Walmart U.S., 98.1% of Sam’s Club U.S., and 93.7% of Walmart Canada private brand home textile net sales. Better Cotton Initiative data was derived from BCI’s Better Cotton Platform data.
41. FY2023 results are calculated as a percentage of supplier reported data. FY2023 results do not include estimated results of non-reporting suppliers. Reporting in years prior to FY2023 included the estimated results of non-reporting suppliers.
42. Man-made cellulosic fibers include rayon/viscose, modal, lyocell, acetate and trademarked versions. Forest information is per non-profit organization Canopy.
43. Fiber sourced from producers that receive a “green shirt” designation in the Canopy Hot Button Report is considered “low risk of sourcing from ancient and endangered forests.
44. FY2023 results are calculated as a percentage of supplier-reported data. FY2023 results do not include estimated results of non-reporting suppliers. Reporting for years prior to FY2023 included the estimated results of non-reporting suppliers. In FY2023, suppliers representing 90.2% of Walmart U.S. and 93.9% of Sam’s Club U.S. private brand apparel category net sales and 95.5% of Walmart U.S. and 98.1% of Sam’s Club U.S. private brand home category net sales reported data for this metric. Walmart Canada did not collect data from its suppliers relating to certified MMCFs and, as such, we do not have a percentage to report.
45. Results are based on supplier survey responses. FY2021 results are based on reports from suppliers that represented 91.2% of Walmart U.S. private brand apparel net sales and 85.7% of Walmart U.S. home textiles net sales. FY2022 results are based on reports from suppliers that represented 97.7% of Walmart U.S. private brand apparel net sales and 94.4% of Walmart U.S. home textiles net sales; for Sam's Club, participation rates were 91.8% and 93.8% for private brand apparel and home textiles, respectively; and for Canada, participation rates were 88.2% and 92.7% for private brand apparel and home textiles, respectively. FY2023 results are based on reports from suppliers that represented 90.2% of Walmart U.S. private brand apparel net sales and 95.5% of Walmart U.S. home textiles net sales; for Sam's Club, participation rates were 93.9% and 98.1% for private brand apparel and home textiles, respectively; and for Canada, participation rates were 88.6% and 93.7% for private brand apparel and home textiles, respectively. FY2023 results are calculated as a percentage of supplier reported data. FY2023 results do not include estimated results of non-reporting suppliers. Reporting for years prior to FY2023 included the estimated results of non-reporting suppliers.
46. Walmart Canada recycled polyester was previously reported as 67%. During our FY2023 quality assurance review for our FY2022 comparative period, we identified a calculation error in our Walmart Canada data and have restated our reporting to correct this error.
47. In accordance with the principles and criteria of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) segregated supply chain systems, or equivalent standards. Prior years’ reporting on certified palm oil included both mass balance and segregated. Walmart reset its palm oil goal in 2021 to focus on segregated palm oil or equivalent.
48. Suppliers supplying Walmart private brand products in departments most likely to contain palm oil were identified and encouraged to participate in Walmart’s palm oil survey. Excluding suppliers who responded to the survey and stated that they do not supply Walmart with products containing palm oil, suppliers representing 92% of Private Brand sales from the relevant business responded. The percentage of supplier reported palm oil volumes in Walmart private brand products certified as more sustainable is the quotient of the volume of each certified palm oil type divided by total volume of palm oil, per the supplier survey responses. Metrics include data from suppliers reporting palm oil from sources that are certified according to RSPO Mass Balance or equivalent plus RSPO Segregated Supply Chain Standard and RSPO Identity Preserved Supply Chain Standard.
49. During our FY2023 quality assurance review for our FY2022 comparative period, we identified a calculation error in our supplier-reported data. We have restated our reporting to correct this error. Percentages were previously reported as 10% certified segregated/equivalent palm oil and 80% certified mass balance/equivalent palm oil.
50. We updated our goal in 2020 to “By 2025, source private brand products made of pulp, paper, and timber deforestation and conversion-free. Implement more sustainable pulp, paper, and timber procurement practices that promote more sustainable management, conservation, protection and restoration of the world’s forests.”
51. Certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC), Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI). Suppliers supplying Walmart private brand products in departments most likely to contain pulp and paper were identified and encouraged to participate in Walmart’s pulp and paper survey. Excluding suppliers who responded to the survey and stated that they do not supply Walmart with products containing pulp and paper, suppliers representing 74% of the relevant business responded in FY2021, 89% responded in FY2022, and 92% responded in FY2023. The percentage of supplier-reported pulp and paper volumes in Walmart private brand products certified as more sustainable or containing recycled content is the quotient of the volume of certified or recycled pulp and paper divided by total volume of pulp and paper, per the supplier survey responses.
52. FY2021 and FY2022 reported totals only include number of acres involved in fertilizer optimization or soil health practice programs, based on supplier reports. FY2023 reported total includes number of acres involved in more sustainable management practices (inclusive of fertilizer optimization and/or soil health practices) for row crops to more closely align with our Row Crops Position Statement.
53. Based on RBA membership (regular or full category) or implementing the RBA Validated Assessment Program for each disclosed facility.
54. Walmart measures its chemical footprint in terms of priority chemicals, or PCs based on supplier reports collected through UL WERCSmart for in-scope products sold. Walmart references regulatory and authoritative lists to determine priority chemicals. These lists can be found on the Walmart Sustainability Hub. Our footprint covers in-scope formulated consumables products within beauty, personal care, baby, pet and household cleaning products sold by Walmart U.S. stores and Sam’s Clubs in the U.S. In any given year, an increase or decrease in UPC volume weight disclosures may impact reporting. To learn about formulation disclosure, please visit Section 2: Transparency of our Sustainable Chemistry Implementation Guide.
55. All sustainable chemistry metrics are on a calendar year basis and are reported for the prior corresponding calendar year. The three years reported in this table are calendar years 2019, 2020, and 2021. As part of our FY2020 reporting cycle, we restated our baseline year chemical footprint combined for Walmart U.S. stores and Sam’s Club U.S. locations from 220.8 million pounds of priority chemicals (PC) weight to 215.9 million pounds of PC weight based on formulations that our suppliers inadvertently assigned to the wrong Universal Product Code (UPC) registrations in UL’s WERCSmart. We updated the baseline to report the correct progress on our reduction goal. Suppliers provided product formulations to UL WERCSmart for 95% of in-scope UPCs.
56. Suppliers provided product formulations to UL WERCSmart for 96% of in-scope UPCs.
57. Suppliers provided product formulations to UL WERCSmart for 95% of in-scope UPCs.
58. Suppliers provided product formulations to UL WERCSmart for 94% of in-scope UPCs.
59. The U.S. product net sales figure used for the calculation includes Walmart U.S. and Sam’s Club product net sales for the previous four quarters (Q3 through Q2) prior to the start of the survey reporting window. The percentage represents U.S. product net sales of suppliers that reported to Project Gigaton in the reporting year versus all U.S. product net sales. The calculation excludes Walmart International segment product net sales from the calculation.
60. Built for Better- For Communities includes products under selected certifications and initiatives but is not inclusive of all products that are made, grown, or assembled in the United States.
61. Built for Better recognizes select certifications & initiatives and is not inclusive of all responsibly or sustainably sourced products.