Walmart meets coffee sustainability goal early

A discount giant is continuing its efforts to ensure sustainable sourcing for its private label coffee brands.

All coffee sourced for Walmart’s U.S. private label brands is now certified sustainable through the third-party groups Fair Trade, Rainforest Alliance Certified, or UTZ. Walmart initially committed in 2017 to reach this goal by 2020.

In addition, Walmart is working with suppliers to increase supply chain traceability for its private label coffee brands. This effort includes working with one of its coffee suppliers, Westrock Coffee, to obtain visibility into the supply chain back to the coffee farmers at origin. 

Walmart worked with partners including Conservation International (CI) to source sustainable coffee for the U.S. market. When the company first set its coffee sustainability goal, it became the first major North American retailer to join CI’s Sustainable Coffee Challenge. The Challenge is a collaborative effort of companies, governments, non-governmental organizations, research institutions, and other groups that aims to stimulate greater demand for sustainable coffee across the globe.

“Sustainability is at the heart of our ongoing mission to do right by people across the Walmart supply chain and across the planet,” said Ryan Isabell, senior buying manager, coffee & cocoa, Walmart, in a corporate blog post announcing the initiative. “When our customers enjoy the aroma of our private brand coffee, we also want to ensure we’re meeting their expectations on quality and sourcing based on best-in-class, certified industry standards - all while delivering on everyday low prices. Our customers can now be certain that the coffee they’re buying from us was grown with care, by farmers working to build sustainable livelihoods and thriving communities.”