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Ethical Sourcing
Creating a better life at the source
Our ethical sourcing division is responsible for monitoring and strengthening environmental practices and working conditions in the supply chain.
Our goals are to ensure:
- all suppliers respect and follow Walmart’s Standards for Suppliers
- our suppliers meet specific social and environmental standards in their factories
- strong community support by partnering with local NGOs
We are continually taking action across a range of initiatives to make our ethical sourcing practices more effective. It’s about monitoring our suppliers and their factories to promote a higher quality of life for their workers and families.
| Key Performance Indicators | 2009 Results | 2010 Results |
|---|---|---|
| Number of Factory Audits: | ||
| Direct Imports by Walmart Canada | 539 audits of 465 factories | 339 audits of 303 factories |
| Domestic Imports (imports by Canadian suppliers) | 542 audits of 510 factories | 622 audits of 540 factories |
| Percentage of Unannounced Audits | 26 | 50 |
| Number of Factories disapproved | 17 | 23 |
Number of suppliers and factory managers attending Ethical Standards training (globally)  |
2,940 | 8,819 |
Our Goals for 2011 and beyond
- 100 per cent Factory Audit Completion for Direct Import factories, factories producing private label and non-branded merchandise through domestic suppliers (on-shore and off-shore production) for all retail markets by December 31, 2011.
- We require that all direct import suppliers through WGS including DSG source 94 per cent of their production from factories that receive one of the two highest ratings in audits for environmental and social practices by January 31, 2012.
- We require that all domestic suppliers (private brand and non-branded) source 86 per cent of their production from factories that receive one of the two highest ratings in audits for environmental and social practices by January 31, 2012.
- Expand Supplier Development program to additional strategic suppliers.
- Partner with suppliers to improve energy efficiency by 20 per cent per unit of production by 2012 in the top 200 factories in China.
