Walmart to sell reusable bags at checkouts for first time

Retail giant Walmart has announced that it will sell reusable bags made from recycled material at checkout carousels across its US stores for the first time.

The initiative will begin this month after the world's largest retailer also unveiled a 2025 target to ensure its private brand packaging is 100% recyclable, reusable or industrially compostable.

“Companies can contribute to climate action through practical actions – we are excited to be part of the solution,“ Walmart chief sustainability officer, Kathleen McLaughlin, said.

The announcement was made on the two-year anniversary of Project Gigaton, a platform in which Walmart is working with suppliers to avoid one billion metric tons, a gigaton, of emissions from global value chains by 2030.

Walmart Canada also announced it is joining Project Gigaton, making it Walmart Inc.'s third international market to work with suppliers towards emissions reductions.

Emissions totals are calculated in accordance with Walmart's Project Gigaton Accounting Methodology.

In an effort to make it easier to enlist more suppliers to the growing total of over 1,000 suppliers participating in the platform, Walmart also announced that it would publish its Project Gigaton Calculators, which are designed by Walmart and NGOs for suppliers to use in reporting progress toward the Project Gigaton goal.

“We are encouraged by the engagement of our suppliers in Project Gigaton,“ McLaughlin said. “To achieve our ambitious climate goals, we aim to expand and deepen that engagement.

“Ultimately, building sustainable supply chains requires collective action from everyone – not only our associates and suppliers, but customers, business in general, and civil society.“

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