December 13, 2019 - Plastics News

If there's one company that can make a major impact in consumer packaging, it's Walmart Co. The Arkansas-based retail giant says its serious about putting better, more sustainable packaging on its shelves.

Walmart has set a goal of zero plastic packaging waste, with 20 percent recycled content in plastic packaging for its private label items, and it is making sure its suppliers know it. "If we can do it, so can you," the company says.

It also produced its own recycling playbook to guide company decisions on the types of packaging available, and broke down the jargon on recyclable vs. bio-based vs. biodegradeable vs. compostable. So that if a supplier offers to place degradeable additives in compostable lettuce flexible packaging, they know to say: "No. Please don't do that" since degradability isn't the same thing as compostability.

Walmart even brought in Steve Alexander from the Association of Plastic Recyclers as part of its education program.

If you make packaging for consumer products, and those products are sold through Walmart, you'll definitely want to make sure you're in line with that playbook.

Read the full article from Plastics News.