Walmart makes sustainability strides

Walmart is bolstering its commitment to the environment.

The retail giant on Tuesday announced a partnership with General Mills to further regenerative agriculture practices. The company also re-upped its collaboration with organics recycling company Denali to divert food waste at all of its U.S. stores, according to an announcement by Denali.

Under their partnership, Walmart, Sam’s Club and General Mills said they would work to speed the adoption of regenerative agriculture on 600,000 acres in the U.S. by 2030—roughly the number of acres General Mills engages to source key ingredients for products sold by the retailers, the company said.

Grants from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) will support the initial work on crops including wheat in northern and southern Great Plains states of North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Colorado and Minnesota.

“We are excited by the opportunity to bring our products, including Pillsbury refrigerated dough and Blue Buffalo pet food and treats, to Walmart shelves more sustainably, with the help of our merchants and farmer partners,” Jon Nudi, group president of North America Retail at General Mills, said in a statement.

The groups hope that regenerative agriculture will create more resilient yields for farmers while also improving soil health, watersheds and biodiversity, and addressing climate change.

NFWF will provide financial assistance to local grantee organizations through the partnership, expanding education and resources needed to support regenerative agriculture.

Walmart has previously set a goal of sustainably managing or restoring at least 50 million acres of land by 2030.

“We’re committing to making the everyday choice the more sustainable choice for consumers,” John Laney, Walmart’s EVP of food, said in a statement. “This collaboration is an example of how we are working across our value chain on intentional interventions to help advance regenerative agriculture and ensure surety of supply for these essential food products for the long term.”

Russellville, Arkansas-based recycler Denali on Tuesday said it had renewed its agreement to provide food waste recycling at all of the retailer’s more than 4,700 U.S. stores.

Denali will divert millions of pounds of no-longer-edible food from Walmart toward uses such as creating compost, feeding animals and generating renewable energy, the company said.

“Walmart is a leader and innovator in making retail more sustainable,” Denali CEO Todd Mathes said in a statement. “Denali is proud to provide services that bring Walmart closer to its goal of zero waste in its U.S. operations by 2025.”