Walmart – Shiwen Zhou – 2025

Summary

Shiwen Zhou developed a two-tiered strategy to reduce single-use packaging across Walmart China’s supply chain.

Goals

As Walmart China’s e-commerce operations expand, its supply chain’s reliance on single-use packaging presents a direct challenge to its goal of becoming a regenerative, zero-waste company. To address this, Walmart China enlisted EDF Climate Corps fellow Shiwen Zhou to analyze its supply chain and develop a strategy to reduce secondary packaging waste within Walmart China’s transportation links.

Solutions

Zhou developed a comprehensive two-tiered strategy, focusing on Sam’s Club China (SCC) as a prime case for implementation. First, by analyzing the transportation links of the supply chain, she identified immediate “Reduce” opportunities, such as replacing plastic void fillers with paper-based alternatives, redesigning fresh food containers, and scaling the use of reusable pallet straps. Second, focusing on the last-mile of the supply chain, Zhou designed a long-term “Reuse” solution: a detailed, closed-loop reusable packaging system for SCC’s e-commerce delivery. This involved creating a customer journey map, analyzing operational risks, and designing a multi-layered incentive program to drive member participation.

Potential Impact

If implemented, Zhou’s recommendations could reduce single-use plastic consumption by 10 metric tons and save 25 metric tons of CO2e emissions annually from the pilot phase alone. The proposed strategy provides Walmart China with implementing suggestions to build a more circular supply chain, together with a measurable pathway to achieving Walmart’s Zero-Waste 2030 goals, reinforcing its leadership in sustainable retail and creating a scalable blueprint for the future of omnichannel commerce.