Over the last 10 years,
many sustainable improvements have been accomplished related to packaging and
product design. This year at Walmart’s 2014 Sustainable Product Expo, eight of
the largest food companies announced pledges to help ensure that tomorrow’s
food supply is affordable and sustainable for the nine billion people projected
to inhabit the planet by 2050. Executives from these leading CPG companies
gathered in Bentonville in partnership with Walmart to help preserve
the environment in the years ahead. Together, the participating suppliers
represent more than $100 billion in sales at Walmart.
“A great deal of
innovative work is happening every day, but there are still too many gaps and
missed opportunities. Today’s commitments are about creating real systems
change from one end of the supply chain to the other — meaning how products are
grown and made, how they’re transported and sold, and how we touch the lives of
people along the way.” stated Doug McMillon, President and Chief Executive
Officer of Walmart Stores, Inc.
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| We are all smiles today with a #CEOselfie at the #WalmartExpo! |
At the expo and on the
exhibitor show floor, two main areas that were evident to align with McMillon’s
synopsis included Walmart’s ‘Made in America’ initiative that launched in 2013
and CPG companies continued interest in designing sustainable packaging for the
supply chain. “96 percent of Walmart shoppers indicated they have purchased
sustainable products in the past year” according to a recent survey conducted
by Walmart’s Global Customer Insights and Analytics group.
“No one should have to
choose between products that are sustainable and products they can afford,”
said Manuel Gomez, vice president of sustainability for Walmart. “We want to
make sustainability easy by taking the guesswork out of values-based shopping.
Accessibility and transparency really put the customer in the driver’s seat.”
The Expo highlighted
several initiatives to further expand access to sustainable products and create
more transparency in the supply chain. If you think about all the energy and
effort that goes into making the products people use everyday, not just the
package itself, but all the components in the supply chain beginning with
sourcing, manufacturing, packaging, distribution, product use, and disposal —
there are several innovation opportunities that can lead to improved packaging supply
chain performance and sustainable cost savings.
Check out this example of one of the case studies shared at the Expo - http://www.slideshare.net/Chainalytics/2014-walmartexpo-chainalyticspackagingsupplychainsustainabilitycasestudyss
These innovation themes
combined with Walmart’s ‘Made in America’ initiative will require retailers,
product manufacturers, packaging suppliers, and supply chain partners to double
down on their efforts to make a bigger difference as Walmart looks to reshore
$50 Billion in goods over the next 10 years.
Let us know. Send comments to kous@chainalytics.com
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