Walmart Digs Into Sustainability with Compostable Private Label Cutlery

Walmart is offering its customers a chance to use disposable cutlery and still go green.

The retailer on Thursday (Sept. 14) announced the rollout of 100% compostable forks, knives and spoons, manufactured under its private label Great Value.

“This innovation offers an alternative to single-use plastics, popular during celebrations, helping make the more sustainable choice an affordable one for our customers,” the company said in a news release.

In an interview included with the release, Scott Morris, Walmart’s senior vice president of food and consumables, private brand manufacturing, said the cutlery is highly durable, but unlike plastic, “can disintegrate in commercial facilities over 26 weeks, making it the better choice for the environment.”

According to the release, the cutlery is being made by BeyondGreen, a manufacturer of plant-based biopolymers Walmart discovered last year during its “open call”, where small businesses pitch their wares to the retail giant.

“While beyondGREEN showcased unique, sustainable grocery and waste bags that were made in the U.S., the discussion quickly evolved into a collaboration to manufacture commercially compostable cutlery,” said Jennifer R. Jackson, Walmart’s senior vice president of merchandising, household essentials.

The launch comes as private labels are having a moment, thanks to consumers’ desire to trade down at the grocery store to cut costs.

As PYMNTS has written, trading down can involve shopping with discount merchants as well as purchasing private label goods. PYMNTS’ May “Consumer Inflation Sentiment” report found that 58% of consumers were willing to “downgrade” for at least one retail product.

“Indeed, as the stigma around dollar stores and discounts fades, consumers have been increasingly willing to look past their former brand name loyalties for certain items and entertain private-label goods, also known as generics,” PYMNTS wrote last month.

And in an interview with PYMNTS in November, Barbara Connors — vice president of commercial insights at 84.51°, the marketing insights subsidiary of grocery giant Kroger — discussed some of the drivers leading consumers to make the private label switch. 

“Historically, the reasons why someone may continue to be brand loyal just may not hold anymore because people are being forced due to financial constraints to make tradeoffs that they wouldn’t want to make,” Connors said.