Walmart this year became the first major retailer to join a list of companies that detailed the hazardous chemicals used in their products and supply chain.
The Chemical Footprint Project this week announced that its 2017 report included survey responses from companies with combined annual revenues of more than $670 billion — including the world's largest retailer.
Johnson & Johnson, HP and Staples also reportedly took the group's latest survey.
The project aims to allow manufacturers across a wide range of industries to identify the chemicals used throughout their operations and take steps to reduce chemicals of concern. According to a report in Bloomberg, Walmart’s participation in the program could put pressure on other major retailers to do the same.
Organizers said that participating companies curbed their use of those chemicals by 416 million pounds over the past two years.
“For the first time ever, companies are quantitatively measuring and reporting their chemical footprint,” said Mark Rossi, the executive director of Clean Production Action, a Massachusetts-based group that promotes the use of environmentally friendly materials.
The report also allows companies, along with their investors and customers, to measure themselves based on chemical benchmarks and the policies of peer businesses.
Most participating businesses — including Walmart — did not publicly disclose their scores, but CFP said that large companies tended to fare better, particularly in durable goods production, due to more operations oversight, more financial resources and a greater need for strong corporate policies.
“CFP is making data available for benchmarking and gap analysis, which are critical for us to understand where our company and our suppliers are on the journey to more sustainable chemicals,” Walmart Senior Director for Sustainability Zach Freeze said in a statement.
Walmart previously drew praise from another advocacy group for its efforts to curb chemical use. The company said last year that high-priority chemicals were reduced in its products by 95 percent by weight, and later pressured suppliers to eliminate formaldehyde, toluene and six other hazardous substances from their operations.
