Wal-Mart Packaging Scorecard graded poorly in Europe

The European Organization for Packaging and the Environment (EUROPEN) has urged the packaging industry to not allow the Wal-Mart Packaging Scorecard to become an industry standard.

The packaging scorecard announced last year by Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, requires all its suppliers to submit data concerning their packaging and its environmental performance.

The scorecard contains nine different criteria including greenhouse gas emissions; evaluation of the packaging material type; transport distances; product packaging ratios; cube utilisation; recycled material content; methods of waste recovery; the type of energy used and any special energy-saving initiatives in the manufacturing process.

"EUROPEN believes that we should all avoid the risk of the Wal-Mart Packaging Scorecard becoming a de facto industry standard," said Julian Carroll, managing director of EUROPEN, in an address to delegates at the Third Annual Sustainable Packaging Forum in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

"Not only could such an eventuality disrupt the market but even worse, it risks evolving in such a way as to become an inhibitor of innovation rather than a stimulator. Just getting a high score for your packaging with Wal-Mart should not be a reason to rest on your laurels. In our dynamic industry this is clearly something we do not want."

The European body has also cautioned that the scorecard should not be regarded as an environmental indicator. Wal-Mart itself has stressed that its scorecard is one of 13 business management tools introduced to evaluate the performance of its suppliers and buyers. EUROPEN agrees with Wal-Mart's position that the scorecard should be regarded as "work in progress' with scope for continued improvement and has recommended that industry packaging experts continue to work with Wal-Mart to further develop the tool.

In pointing out differences between the North American and European approach to environmentally friendly packaging, EUROPEN has identified market forces as the key driver in North America while legislative pressure has been the chief instrument driving change in Europe. Carroll said that the Wal-Mart initiative should be seen as a bold first step which has contributed to raising awareness of packaging environmental issues within the North American market.