Walmart Canada is now offering its e-commerce customers carbon-neutral shipping on items including groceries.
The company said it is now funding a carbon-offset program that will be administered by EcoCart. Walmart said the program will offset an estimated 25,000 tons of scope 3 emissions generated by Walmart’s last-mile deliveries. That is the equivalent of saving 1 million trees or removing 5,000 cars from the roads in a single year, the company said.
“Funding carbon offsets for last-mile delivery in our e-commerce operations is an opportunity for Walmart to make an impact today as we work towards becoming a regenerative company and eliminating emissions across our business,” said Laurent Duray, senior vice president of e-commerce for Walmart Canada. “Minimizing the environmental impact of the last mile has been top of mind as customer behavior has shifted towards increased reliance on our fast, easy and convenient delivery options for grocery and online orders.”
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EcoCart is a San Francisco-based startup that offers two products, an application programming interface for shippers and a Google Chrome browser extension for consumers. When installed, EcoCart’s algorithms automatically calculate the carbon footprint of the online order and offer the consumer the chance to buy carbon offsets for that purchase. Co-founder Dane Baker previously told Modern Shipper that cost is typically less than $1 per purchase.
The carbon-offset program is part of Walmart Canada’s efforts in the broader Walmart (NYSE: WMT) business’ Zero Emissions by 2040 initiative that seeks to remove emissions from the business without the use of offsets for scope 1 and scope 2 emissions.
Carbon offsets allow companies and consumers to fund projects that reduce the effects of climate change, compensating for the emissions created from actions like transportation. Walmart Canada is engaged in a number of programs to reduce its impact, including Canadian-based initiatives that protect forests, enable composting and waste diversion, aid with refrigerant management and turn biomass into fuel.
“EcoCart is proud to collaborate with Walmart Canada as they become the first major retailer in Canada to offer a carbon-neutral last-mile delivery,” said Peter Twomey, COO of EcoCart. “It’s so exciting to see industry leaders like Walmart work toward a more sustainable future that benefits everyone. By funding offsets on behalf of their customers for last-mile delivery, Walmart is making a positive impact on our collective efforts to regenerate the environment.”
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EcoCart will calculate and validate Walmart Canada’s last-mile emissions and source and vet carbon-offset projects. The company will also provide Walmart with quarterly impact and emissions reporting.
Walmart Canada previously launched Project Gigaton that invites suppliers to reduce emissions from the global supply chain. To date, 590 of Walmart Canada’s suppliers have made Project Gigaton commitments. The company is also committed to converting its vehicle fleet to 100% alternative power by 2028.
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