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Reduced Packaging
to Save Wal-Mart $3.4 Billion.
No. 1 retailer says it will ask 60,000
suppliers to cut product packaging by 5%. Wal-Mart Stores
Inc., fresh from cutting the prices on generic prescription
drugs, is taking on the packaging industry.
The world's largest retailer said it
would push its suppliers to cut the amount of packaging
used in products sold through the world's largest retailer
by 5 percent under a five-year plan scheduled to begin
in 2008.
The move would save the company $3.4
billion and prevent millions of pounds of trash from
reaching landfills. The move would also cut the amount
spent on packaging in the supply chain by $10.98 billion
overall, the company said. The retailer, which has 60,000
suppliers, said it would begin to "measure" its suppliers
in 2008 and recognize them for using less packaging,
utilizing more effective materials and sourcing the
materials more efficiently.
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