Update: Walmart Canada prevents 1.1 million pounds of plastic from entering its supply chain

Company making progress towards goals announced in Charter on Plastics

MISSISSAUGA, ON, Oct. 24, 2019 /CNW/ - Since launching the Walmart Canada Charter on Plastics earlier this year, Walmart Canada has implemented a number of packaging changes which will help prevent more than 1.1 million pounds of plastic from entering the supply chain ? the weight of 100 elephants.  

The retailer is working closely with suppliers to identify areas to curb plastic use and ensure the plastic that does remain is recyclable. While there is more work to do for Walmart Canada to achieve the bold goals set out in the Charter, recent improvements include:

• Eliminating plastic wrap from organic bananas bunches which will remove about 14,000 lbs. of plastic
• Eliminating plastic wrap from single peppers which will remove about 193,000 lbs. of plastic
• Increasing post-consumer recycled content in the packaging holding baked goods, avoiding the use of 925,000 lbs. of new plastics annually
• Removing 420,000 lbs. of expanded poly styrene (a hard to recycle plastic) from entering the supply chain annually by introducing new packaging for sausage trays

Walmart Canada's Charter on Plastics is the retailer's commitment to address plastic waste in Canada using a three-pronged strategy: using less plastic, recycling more plastic, and supporting improvements to the plastic waste reduction system. Read more here.

Today's update builds on Walmart's mission to champion plastic waste reduction initiatives in Canada, including:

• Decreasing plastic bag use by 50 per cent since 2016 and a further 50 per cent by 2025 taking approximately 1 billion checkout bags out of circulation over that period
• Committing to 100 per cent recyclable packaging in all private brand products by 2025.
• Eliminating single-use plastic straws and replacing them with paper alternatives by 2020, taking approximately 35 million single-use plastic straws out of circulation annually

In addition, Walmart Canada and the Recycling Council of Ontario (RCO) are announcing the winners of the 2019 Recycling Council of Ontario's Plastic Bag Grab Challenge. Through this challenge, a total of 290,617 students from 822 schools across the country collected 1.7 million single-use plastic shopping bags ? 13.68 metric tonnes of plastic ? and brought them to their local Walmart stores for recycling, diverting another 30,000 lbs. of plastic from landfills.

"We are absolutely committed to reducing our plastics footprint. We know there is a lot more to do to achieve our goals, but we're confident we are on the right path," said Susan Muigai, EVP, Human Resources and Corporate Affairs, Walmart Canada. "We're proud that Walmart Canada's Charter on Plastics is leading to a decrease in plastic use and we hope this shows other Canadian companies that reducing plastics is a viable option that makes business sense and that customers value."

About Walmart Canada
Walmart Canada operates a growing chain of more than 400 stores nationwide serving more than 1.2 million customers each day. Walmart Canada's flagship online store, Walmart.ca is visited by more than 750,000 customers daily. With more than 85,000 associates, Walmart Canada is one of Canada's largest employers and is ranked one of the country's top 10 most influential brands. Walmart Canada's extensive philanthropy program is focused on supporting Canadian families in need, and since 1994 Walmart Canada has raised and donated more than $400 million to Canadian charities. Additional information can be found at walmartcanada.ca, facebook.com/walmartcanada and at twitter.com/walmartcanada.

SOURCE Walmart Canada