Focus on ethical sourcing

Extending our culture

Respect for the individual is one of our three basic beliefs at Walmart. And as we work toward fulfilling the vision of the Next Generation Walmart, extending our culture beyond our associates and customers to our factory workers will keep our culture strong.

By taking the lead on social issues through initiatives that promote respect for the individual, we will continue to find innovative and sustainable ways to promote improved working conditions in our suppliers' factories. We ranked second among corporations examined in "Toward a Safe, Just Workplace: Apparel Supply Chain Compliance Programs," a report published by As You Sow in November 2010. We still see tremendous opportunity.

Building a more socially and environmentally responsible supply chain remains the purpose behind our efforts to create opportunities to improve the lives of factory workers and those living in our sourcing communities.

Ethical Sourcing Webinar Series

In an effort to improve transparency in our supply chain, we continue to work toward the goal of ensuring that 95 percent of our direct import factories receive one of our two highest audit ratings for environmental and social practices.

Because of the scale of our supply chain, the number of factories in our system is dynamic with new factories being added and others removed. Each factory is at a slightly different stage of development. Some possess strong management systems and understanding of the interrelationship between productivity, working hours and wages, while others fall behind.

The Walmart Ethical Sourcing Webinar Series, currently available in China, is the latest addition to our efforts to improve the social performance of factories. An effective way of sharing information with a broad base of factories, this series was developed in collaboration with INFACT Global Partners to promote our Ethical Sourcing requirements related to productivity, safety and quality of workplace requirements in ethical sourcing.