Walmart strengthens e-commerce sustainability commitment! Plans to reduce more than 2,000 tons of plastic in orders!

Walmart announced that it predicts that it will eliminate more than 2,000 tons of plastic by transitioning to recyclable paper envelopes and cardboard box packaging. The goal of the program is to eliminate single-use plastic bags and improve the efficiency of last-mile delivery. Therefore, in the future, almost all orders shipped from fulfillment centers and stores in plastic envelopes will be delivered in recyclable paper envelopes. It is expected that by the end of this fiscal year, this transition will eliminate 65 million plastic bags from circulation in the United States.

Additionally, customers will soon be able to opt out of single-use plastic bags for their online pickup orders. The company noted that early testing showed "promising adoption rates" and could help remove millions of single-use bags from circulation each year.

“Our commitment to regeneration is fundamental. Customers tell us they’re excited about these improvements, which help them make more sustainable decisions that respect the planet and future generations,” said Karisa Sprague, senior vice president of Walmart U.S. Logistics Network Operations.

Transition to right-sized packaging technology

Separately, the company is also helping to reduce the amount of cardboard used to ship products to customers by transitioning to right-sized packaging technology in about half of its fulfillment network. This innovation helps create packaging that fits the customer's order. In addition, by eliminating unused box space, it can reduce the need for refills by 60% and waste caused by oversized boxes by 26%.

Additionally, all of Banner’s online shoppers can now request that multiple items be split into fewer boxes, reducing waste and the number of shipments.

Similarly, to ensure that products can be delivered from stores to customers’ homes in a more sustainable way, the retailer uses electric vans to combine multiple orders into a single delivery route. By using its 4,700 stores as distribution hubs, Walmart speeds up delivery times and reduces the distance traveled and emissions of its fleet.

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