Walmart's Sour Cream Sustainability Story

Over the course of the last few month's we've watched news and processes around the Walmart Sustainability Index grow. Buyers are requesting Walmart suppliers to participate in the Supplier Sustainability Assessment and many suppliers are beginning to look into their environmental impact, some for the first time. In response to the Wal-Mart push and growing consumer demand, more and more companies are undertaking greenhouse gas inventories, offering carbon footprint reporting, and planning for reductions as part of a larger sustainability plan.

Walmart has not only requested suppliers to address the need to understand and report the impact of their products, but they've also produced some encouraging, if not inspiring, content highlighting the process involved in getting a product to market.  I think consumers and suppliers alike will find their Secret Life of... videos enlightening if not simply a tool that helps paint a better contextual picture for Walmart sustainability initiatives and where are food comes from, how far it travels, and where it's impact on the environment can be improved.

The videos, including The Secret Life of Sour Cream below, take us on a journey to see not only what goes into the making of Wal-Mart's private-label sour cream, but also highlights the choices made by it's vendors and suppliers to reduce harmful environmental impacts at just about every major step along the way. From ingredient acquisition to recipe processing to transportation of goods, The Secret Life of Sour Cream shows us where and tells us why Walmart is walking its talk when it comes to sustainability.

Watch Walmart's Secret Life of Sour Cream here and visit the video page of Walmart for more on this and other initiatives.

Learn more about Mosaic^TM, a simple, scalable and cost effective solution to completing a GHG inventory – watch this video.

Personally Speaking
I'll admit freely that when word first surfaced about Walmart's sustainability initiatives, I was more than a little sceptical. But after participating in a number of educational presentations by Walmart, engaging in ongoing internal conversations about how to best support Walmart suppliers, and simply watching how some suppliers are embracing sustainabilty in new ways thanks to Walmart's initiative, I'm proud to say I believe in Walmart's sustainability efforts and am proud that Renewable Choice is working with suppliers to help make their environmental goals a reality. ~ Heather

Heather Philipp is Director of Media & Communications for Renewable Choice Energy