Walmart and Sustainable Packaging

By: Buck

             When it comes to retail, a big name that pops into my head is Walmart, one of America's great retail giants. And, when I think of Walmart, one thing that doesn't come to my mind is sustainable packaging. You wouldn't expect a giant retail company to be worried about sustainable packaging, but, at the 2016 Walmart Sustainable Packaging Summit, Walmart showed a big interest in improving their packaging efficiency and sustainability. The three goals they set for themselves are to optimize their designs, to source sustainability, and to support recycling.

Picture Credit: packagingdigest.com

             Walmart announced that they are going to be including a How2Recycle label on all of their store-brand products that have a recyclable value. Walmart discovered that two thirds of people do not recycle their packages if the instructions on how to recycle them are not printed on the package. So adding these labels is how Walmart plans to promote recycling. To aid in their attempts to optimize design, Walmart is going to be implementing more paperboard thickness options and thinner liner board in corrugated packaging to increase compression strength and to reduce both materials and damage. 

             It is good to see such a leading company take action for this cause, because with the reach that Walmart has, they are capable of having a large impact. Walmart is already taking the necessary steps to promote the lifestyle of sustainability. Lets hope other major companies can take the same steps too.