The Buzz Around Walmart

By Riley Kinum April 20, 2021

Walmart has just announced that it will be making efforts to reduce pollinator extinction by adopting integrated pest management (IPM) strategies and building pollinator habitats. This is all part of Walmart’s 2020 pledge to become a regenerative company. In terms of IPM, by 2025, Walmart promises that all of its fresh flowers and produce will be sourced from suppliers that are third-party integrated pest management- approved. Senior Vice President Martin Mundo stated, “We will also continue to avoid selling invasive plant species in our retail sources…and we will work with local organizations to protect, restore or establish pollinator habitats in major pollinator migration corridors.”

Walmart also plans to include a pollinator garden in its new headquarters. A pollinator garden is planted and designed with specific nectar and pollen producing plants in order to attract pollinating insects. At this new 350-acre campus in Bentonville, Arkansas, set to be fully completed in 2025, three-quarters of the plant species will be pollen-producing plants in order to attract bees and other pollinating insects. Mundo stated, “Meadows planted near lakes will provide ample undisturbed pollinator foraging habitats as well as important water access and potential for more intentional nesting habitat spaces for insects, small animals and birds.”

As of today, over twenty Walmart stores already have their own pollinator gardens. More gardens are in the works. Further, Walmart has partnered with solar companies to establish pollinator habitats near solar panel clusters, such as its distribution centers in South Carolina and Minnesota.

Also, the retail giant is asking its suppliers to label pollinator-friendly plants in order to educate and encourage customers to purchase environmentally friendly species. It is Walmart’s hope that its consumers will produce their own pollinator gardens. According to Mundo, “In total, more than 1.3 million annual and perennial pollinator-promoting plants will carry tags in Walmart stores this spring.” The desire to save the bees, birds, and butterflies is just one of Walmart’s many initiatives to protect and restore the environment. Earth Day may only be once a year but Walmart is now paying tribute to mother nature everyday.