Walmart in new online push for healthy, sustainable products
Walmart is making it easier for customers to find healthy and environmentally friendly items on its website.
The retail giant is launching “Built for Better,” an online destination that identifies products on its website that meet independent standards for promoting personal well-being and reducing environmental impact. The products will be identified on the site via icons.
Beginning Tuesday, Sep. 21, customers will find products aligned with two areas of focus.
• Built for Better - For You: Icons will highlight more nutritious products or those that meet independent standards certifying they are made without specific materials or ingredients customers may not want. The lineup will range from food items to everyday essentials such as detergents and cosmetics
• Built for Better - For the Planet: Icons will highlight products that are designed to help reduce the impact on the planet, with a focus on sustainably sourced and climate-conscious goods. This focus area recognizes more than 30 independent standards focused primarily on environmental benefits, including Energy Star Certified, Rainforest Alliance Certified, and Better Cotton Initiative.
Customers can shop Built for Better on the Walmart e-commerce site and app, and have access to all the same omnichannel pickup and delivery options offered for other products. They be able to learn more about Built for Better and Walmart’s sustainability work as part of a marketing campaign across multiple channels, where they will be directed to the site Walmart.com/LiveBetterTomorrow.
Chief Walmart rival Amazon launched a similar initiative in September 2020, called Climate Pledge Friendly. The e-tail giant places a “Climate Pledge Friendly” label on more than 25,000 products on its site, to signify that the items have one or more of 19 different sustainability certifications, such as reducing the carbon footprint of shipments to customers.
This announcement is one component of Walmart’s greater sustainability strategy and its commitment to become a regenerative company. First announced in September 2020, Walmart’s regenerative goals include reaching zero emissions in global operations and committing to help protect, manage or restore at least 50 million acres of land and 1 million square miles of ocean by 2030.
Earlier in September 2021, Walmart outlined sustainable farming and reporting best practices for row crop (e.g., wheat, corn, soy, rice) suppliers as part of its regenerative effort. Some of the practices the company recommends include soil and nutrient management, integrated pest management, water management and land management.
“But it will take all of us to make a difference,” Jane Ewing, senior VP, sustainability, Walmart, said in a corporate blog post. “That’s why we’re making it more convenient for the hundreds of millions of shoppers we serve each week to make a difference with their dollars. And we’re just getting started. We know ‘live better’ extends beyond saving money, healthy living and sustainability. With Built for Better, we’ve created a framework that can grow over time. As the needs of our communities and customers continue to change, we’ll change right alongside them.”