Walmart
At a Glance
Industry
Retail and Apparel
Project Types
Supply Chain, Sustainability and Energy Management Strategy
Year
2024
Location
Shenzhen, Guangdong
Summary
Yiting Sheng has contributed packaging recommendations for the toys and electronics categories as Walmart continues to work with suppliers on integrating sustainable practices across its assortment.
Goals
To enhance the sustainability of its product assortment, Walmart tasked Sheng Yiting, an EDF Climate Corp participant, with conducting a comprehensive evaluation of product sustainability, utilizing a lifecycle analysis to provide actionable insights on toys and electronics as the retailer continues to pursue sustainability.
Solutions
Yiting addressed the challenge through a strategic three-step process:
- Trend Analysis: After a thorough review of industry reports from McKinsey and other authoritative sources, Sheng Yiting identified pivotal sustainability objectives, highlighting the electronics and toy industries' focus on sustainable materials and packaging as paramount.
- Brand Strategy Identification: By examining renowned brands across both sectors, she gleaned insights into cutting-edge sustainable practices, providing a roadmap for Walmart's sustainability initiatives in the toys and electronics categories.
- Lifecycle Recommendations: With a lifecycle perspective, Sheng Yiting offered targeted short-term and long-term recommendations that consider market readiness and economic viability, steering Walmart towards enhanced product sustainability in the toys and electronics categories.
Potential Impact
Yiting's efforts will help inform Walmart's approach to sustainability in these key categories. For example, in toy production, Sheng learned that sugarcane is poised to replace plastics on a large scale, while the electronics industry will adopt bio-based waste materials like coffee grounds and used cooking oil as packaging alternatives. The emergence of rapidly renewable bio-based materials used in the creation of plant-based plastics, such as mushrooms and mycelium, signals a promising shift away from traditional plastics. These innovations could help Walmart suppliers who produce toys and electronics reduce their plastic footprint and possibly contribute to Walmart’s journey toward achieving its ambitious sustainability goals.