Walmart has set a Market-Specific goal of accomplishing Zero Waste by 2025. Walmart has Globally redirected more than 81 percent of waste from landfills and incineration in 2020. So, Walmart might become a zero-waste company in a few years, But will they do that? because waste is a global problem and zero-waste affects the revenues of a company.

What is Zero Waste?

Zero waste is a way of living that focuses on reducing waste and producing nothing but clean, healthy products. This can be done through responsible production, consumption, reuse, and recovery of all products, packaging, and materials.

When will Walmart become zero-waste?

As we all know, the future of our planet is at stake. Every other organization is coming up with plans and ideas to go zero waste or achieve zero waste in the upcoming years. Walmart plans to reach zero waste by 2025 in major countries such as Canada, the USA, the UK, and Japan; that is, it isn’t zero waste yet in 2022. They aim to move toward a circular economy by reducing product production and household waste.

Walmart Zero-Waste Initiative

  1. Reduce packaging and waste from the beginning of the supply chain
  2. Create a recycling infrastructure
  3. Educate employees on how to reduce waste ..

Electronics recycling and packaging management can help reduce waste and help protect the environment.

The company plans to focus on customer engagement and invest in local infrastructure in order to achieve their goal of Zero Waste.

Electronic waste recycling at Walmart

Walmart is a retailer that offers an ongoing trade-in program where consumers can come in and trade in their old electronics for free or send them in for recycling. They have collaborated with Samsung Electronics and Gazelle for this service.

Trading electronics can be done through Gazelle, a recycling service, by going to their online store and finding out their nearest drop-off location. The consumers will get the chance to earn prepaid visa cards to trade their electronics.

The Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ are available for free with a small nominal fee if they are not of the private brand Samsung. Otherwise, it’s free.

Eliminating Food Waste at Waste 

Walmart is concerned with the amount of food waste that is generated by its customers. The company has several plans to reduce this waste.

  1. Walmart will create a program where customers can donate food that is no longer edible to local charities.
  2. Walmart will create a program where customers can recycle their food waste into energy or compostable materials.
  3. Walmart will create a program where customers can sell their food waste to the company for profit. ..

The company plans to revamp their supply chain operations by not ordering more than required to reduce waste. They will also provide meals for the community by donating unsold food incompletely in good condition. They will focus on their “best before” label system on food items so that consumers realize that the food hasn’t gone bad after that specific date but is not in its peak freshness stage anymore. This will enable customers to use it instead of throwing it away, assuming it has gone wrong. Finally, they plan to divert all non-edible food towards animal feed, converting it into fuels and fertilizers. ..

Walmart has partnered with Georgia-Pacific to help them reduce food waste by using the concept of “Super Sandwich Bales.” These bales are turned into materials that are used to create new products or recycled, and the company and its partner share in the profits.

Zero-Waste Packaging

Walmart is working to create 100% recyclable, reusable, and compostable packaging by 2025. They want to be packaging neutral, which means they will recover the product packaging material after it has gone through reusing or recycling. They are also encouraging their customers to be more aware of their zero waste initiative and stop the usage of plastic bags altogether. ..

Pros and cons of going Zero-waste 

The recycling process helps to reduce the amount of toxins released into the air and water, which in turn helps to maintain the environment. It also saves money for customers and the company.

This is a difficult task that requires extra effort and discipline. Not everyone is committed to reducing waste, which creates a conflict of interest.

Conclusion

Walmart is in the process of becoming Zero-Waste, which means they are reducing, reusing, and recycling plastic needed to run their business. This is a great step in the right direction for the company, as it helps them save money and help protect the environment.