US retail giant Walmart aims at reducing the environmental impact of the textiles and clothing it sells. This includes new goals for sourcing cotton and polyester, a more responsible use of chemicals with a goal of reducing the discharge of priority chemicals from the manufacturing process by 2025. But the main commitment is to source only from suppliers that use the Higg Index Facility Environmental Module (FEM) for products sold in the US.

Walmart was a founder member of the Sustainability Consortium in 2009. Walmart is working with suppliers to improve sustainability across the textile value chain. After a few years operating relatively under the radar when it comes to sustainability in its textile supply chains, Walmart will now turn its attention to three key areas of its textile supply chain in order to improve its overall environmental credentials. Walmart will source 100 per cent more sustainable cotton for products sold in the US, which includes cotton grown in the US, organic, or cotton from other third-party certified unnamed sources. Walmart will also source 50 per cent recycled polyester fibers for its private brand textiles by 2025. The retailer intends to leverage third-party certifications such as Oeko-Tex Standard 100, which tests products for chemical residues on product.