American retail giant Walmart has removed 95 percent of, making good its ‘policy on sustainable chemistry in consumables'.
Walmart released its ninth annual Global Responsibility Report detailing its environmental and social activities and highlighting progress and development it has made since presenting their Sustainable Chemistry Policy in 2013.
According to Walmart, the Sustainable Chemistry Policy precipitated an active effort "to improving our chemical footprint". The policy outlined the intension to gradually reduce and subsequently remove 10 of its highest priority chemicals over the next 3 years. Two and a half years later, its make significant advancement on that pledge.
The embrace by America’s largest retailer of chemical footprinting language represents endorsement of an emerging, critically important sustainability shift. It is a cogent reminder of the power major businesses have to reduce business and consumer risk whilst also setting the benchmark for a more sustainably conscious future.
Walmart's green policy and consequent delivery on those pledges has set a serious precedent. According to Richard Liroff many investors are now "Seeking a more effective way of comparing public companies on the extent to which they reduce chemical hazards and realize the business benefits of moving towards safer chemicals and materials".