Wal-Mart's packaging scorecard, that rates suppliers on their sustainability, has gone live. The idea was unveiled at the Clinton Global Initiative in 2006 and put through a trial phase for the past year. Wal-Mart has set the goal of a five percent packaging reduction by 2013. The company has also planned a scorecard system for electronics products.
Wal-Mart says that more than 97,000 products have been entered into the scorecard by 6,371 distinct vendors. The scorecard measures sustainability through various metrics including GHG emissions, product-to-package ratio, and the amount of renewable energy used throughout the manufacturing and delivery process. Suppliers receive scores in each category and are rated in comparison to their competitors. Wal-Mart says it will continue to refine the process of the scorecard calculations.
Sustainable packaging has been a growing trend among many leading companies.