Walmart announced new sustainability goals, including a commitment to reduce the company’s use of new plastic by 15 percent by 2025. The company said that it intends to achieve this goal by reducing the amount of plastic it uses overall in addition to using more recycled plastic. The retail giant will also aim to use only recyclable or compostable brand packaging by 2025.
The announcement added that Walmart would use more sustainable materials to produce its apparel. The company will also ensure its suppliers do not use materials from endangered forests, the habitats of at-risk species or other unethical sources as described by Canopy, an environmental nonprofit organization.
“The steps taken today will determine whether we can mitigate the worst effects of climate change in time,” Jane Ewing, Walmart’s senior vice president of sustainability, said in the release. “But it’s on all of us—businesses, governments, NGOs [nongovernmental organizations], customers and communities—to channel this urgency into action.”
In 2019, Walmart emitted an estimated 17.56 million metric tons of greenhouse gases. It previously committed to achieving zero emissions by 2040. The latest goals were discussed during the company’s 2021 Sustainability Milestone Summit.