Dive Brief:
- Walmart announced last week it has added compostable cutlery to its Great Value brand.
- The 24- and 48-count packs of forks, knives, spoons and assorted cutlery are available in 1,400 Walmart stores nationwide.
- Walmart’s new alternative to single-use plastic cutlery comes at a time when the retailer said it is looking to meet strong consumer demand for sustainable offerings.
Dive Insight:
By offering the new compostable cutlery under its private label, Walmart is aiming to change shoppers’ mindsets around the affordability of more sustainable items.
“There’s a perception that more sustainable options cost significantly more, which presents a barrier for customers looking to save money on choices that are good for them, as well as the environment,” Jennifer R. Jackson, Walmart’s senior vice president of merchandising and household essentials, said in a blog post.
The 24-count packs cost $1.48 — Walmart’s entry price point for cutlery — and the 48-count pack costs $2.96.
Walmart hopes to expand the product to additional stores in the future, Jackson said.
The cutlery is highly durable yet able to bend when pressure is applied, Scott Morris, Walmart’s SVP of food and consumables and private brand manufacturing, said in the post.
“And critically important, unlike plastic cutlery, these items can disintegrate in commercial facilities over 26 weeks, making it the better choice for the environment,” Morris said.
The cutlery, which is commercially compostable through industrial composting facilities and certified by the Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI), is made by beyondGreen, a certified minority-owned U.S.-based business, per the blog post. BeyondGreen recently opened a manufacturing facility in San Antonio to help produce Great Value Compostable Cutlery for Walmart at scale, Jackson noted.
Walmart discovered beyondGreen at the retailer’s 2022 Open Call event for U.S.-based small businesses and suppliers, Jackson said.
“While beyondGREEN showcased unique, sustainable grocery and waste bags that were made in the U.S., the discussion quickly evolved into a collaboration to manufacture commercially compostable cutlery,” she added.
The cutlery is the latest move by Walmart to advance its sustainability goals, which include reducing its virgin plastic use, achieving zero emissions by 2024 and making all of its private brand packaging 100% recyclable, reusable or industrially compostable by 2025.
