Walmart Selects IFCO as Exclusive Provider of Reusable Plastic Containers for Fresh Fruit and Vegetables in the U.S.
TAMPA, FL - A long-standing industry partnership has just doubled down on its efforts as Walmart has announced a new seven-year agreement with IFCO, making it the retailer’s exclusive RPC packaging provider for select fruits and vegetables.
“IFCO and Walmart share the goal of an efficient, sustainable fresh food supply chain that helps nourish millions of Americans and billions of consumers worldwide,” said the outgoing President of IFCO North America, Dan Martin. “This agreement is a win for IFCO, a win for Walmart, a win for the environment, and a win for millions of grocery shoppers across America.”
This comes as a continuation of the companies’ long-term collaboration, which first launched when the two partnered to introduce reusable packaging in the U.S. in 1998. Under this new agreement, Walmart suppliers will deliver produce to Walmart stores using IFCO reusable plastic containers (RPCs), according to a company release, and each RPC will be collected, washed, sanitized, and wrapped before being used again up to 100 times.
“Walmart is committed to providing its shoppers with high quality, safe, nutritious, and affordable fresh food produced sustainably,” said Martin Mundo, Walmart Senior Vice President, Produce and GPS. “Our new agreement with IFCO helps us deliver on that promise by creating a fresh food supply chain that is more efficient and more sustainable from beginning to end.”
The use of IFCO RPCs will aid Walmart in its Project Gigaton goal to avoid 1 gigaton of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, saving an estimated 70 thousand metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions, 40 million kilograms of solid waste, one billion kilowatt-hours of energy use, one million cubic meters of water consumption, and seven million kilograms of product damage, the press release noted.
The collaboration will also lead IFCO to create more manufacturing jobs to produce new RPCs, and to process millions of new RPCs at IFCO Service Centers, as well as improve the supply chain by creating more efficiencies in food waste reduction and product shelf life.
As this partnership continues to grow and develop, how else will the retail sector be altered? Keep an eye on ANUK as we report.
