Walmart Wants to Help Customers Find Products That Are 'Built for Better'

To help its label-reading, sustainability-conscious customers more easily find products that align with their priorities, Walmart is rolling out "Built for Better," a new online shopping destination and product labeling program.

Items highlighted on Walmart.com as "Built for Better" have met "independent and authoritative standards for promoting personal well-being and reducing our impact on the environment," Walmart SVP of Sustainability Jane Ewing said in a blog post on Walmart's website. Two new product icons: Built for Better-For You and Built for Better-For the Planet will point customers to items that don't contain ingredients or materials they may be looking to avoid (e.g., sulfates or parabens) as well as products deemed more-responsible choices by such programs as the Rainforest Alliance and the Better Cotton Initiative. 

In the Built for Better-For You category are cleaning products and baby/personal-care products that are EWG Verified by the Environmental Working Group, for example, and textiles that carry the Standard 100 by OEKO-TEX® label for not containing potentially harmful substances. The Built for Better-For the Planet designation recognizes sustainably sourced and climate-conscious products that have met any of more than 30 independent standards, Walmart noted. Customers can learn more about the methodology for selecting Built for Better items on the company's website.

"We know shopping with purpose often takes extra time," Ewing wrote. "It requires researching products and reading labels, all of which can be overwhelming for our busy customers." With the Built for Better online product hub, "We’re taking the guesswork out for our customers," she stated.

Ewing noted that the launch of Built for Better is the latest in a series of moves made as part of Walmart's larger sustainability strategy and commitment to becoming a regenerative company that is "dedicated to placing nature and humanity at the center of our business practices." In July, the company charted its progress toward its wide-ranging sustainability goals, which encompass everything from achieving zero carbon emissions by 2040 to having 100% sustainably sourced seafood in all Walmart North American stores by 2025.