Retailers’ Eco-Friendly Efforts Gain Ground

SOME OF THE BIGGEST PLAYERS IN GROCERY HAVE UPPED THEIR WASTE REDUCTION INITIATIVES.

By Marian Zboraj

rioritizing sustainability is on the increase. This was one of the top trends that Jack Sinclair, CEO of Phoenix-based Sprouts Farmers Market, discussed during NRF’s Big Show this past January in New York.

“I think the pandemic had some role to play in this — people are getting more interested in it in the U.S.,” Sinclair said. “We do good by doing good. That’s something to be encouraging across the industry. How can you be much more effective at being good for your customer, good for the families of your customer, good for your communities and good for the planet at the same time? There is a win-win in that space that can drive the terms as well as a more efficient planet.”

Other grocers agree. For instance, more food retailers are realizing the importance of environmental sustainability initiatives as they increase efforts to reduce waste through recycling and composting programs, as well as implementing packaging materials that have a lower impact on the planet.

Walmart Joins the Cleancult

Only about 5% of 51 million tons of U.S. plastic waste was recycled in 2021, according to a study from global environmental advocacy group Greenpeace. This is why Walmart Inc. is betting big on a zero-plastic waste-cleaning startup called Cleancult.

Key Takeaways

More food retailers are realizing the importance of environmental sustainability initiatives as they increase efforts to reduce waste.

Major retailers such as Walmart, Target and Meijer are rolling out initiatives to reduce plastic packaging and encourage recycling.

Environmentally minded companies that these retailers are working with include Cleancult, TerraCycle, Burt's Bees and Grove Co.

On a mission to reduce single-use plastic waste, Cleancult is known as a disruptor to the household cleaning industry by packaging soaps and detergents in paper-based cartons.

The company revealed on March 2 its largest retail expansion to date into more than 3,000 Walmart stores nationwide, bringing its first-to-market paper-based refill cartons to even more customers through its partnership with the retail giant.

“Cleancult’s commitment to plastic elimination is the kind of innovation we need at scale to collectively reduce plastic use and become more regenerative,” says Jennifer R. Jackson, SVP, household essentials at Bentonville, Ark.-based Walmart U.S.

A digitally native company founded in 2019, Cleancult’s refillable model transitions seamlessly to brick and mortar due to a comprehensive refill system: Instead of repeatedly buying single-use plastic bottles, consumers can purchase a refillable glass dispenser that doesn’t need to be replaced, along with soap refills in recyclable paper-based cartons to reduce the never-ending cycle of plastic consumption when it comes to conventional cleaning products. According to Cleancult, this simple household swap reduces plastic waste created from typical home-cleaning routines by 90% and can have an enormous planetary impact. By making the switch to a system like Cleancult’s recyclable paper-based carton model, consumers can eliminate more than 330 million pounds of plastic from entering the environment each year.

The brand's retail presence has grown