About circumlocution in delivery...Just read and you'll see
Welcome to "nouveau monde", your "nouveau genre" (see, we even create new words) newsletter to better understand how to make the world better through the lens of retail. This is #41
Le menu du jour at nouveau monde is about zero zero delivery (yeah, just read it and you’ll see) and plastic bags at Walmart (again).
Things move fast in retail and sustainability, we’re really happy to help you get the right tips and be inspired!
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Today's newsletter is 857 words, a 6.9-minutes read (yes, I tried).
Less plastic at Walmart…so what?
by Phil
The world is changing it seems. Piece by piece. Step by step, an increasing pressure grows on publicly traded companies to work more on their sustainability objectives, and so Retailers. More and more states in the US, including big cities and several countries as well are now banning or charging fees for single-use plastics. Consumers seem putting more attention to their environmental impact. Investors are joining the dance as well, including environmental, social and governance policies as part of their due diligence.
Walmart decided being more aggressive with the use of plastic bags. While getting closer to its customers with In-Home delivery for example, Walmart swapped out last fall disposable bags for tote bags that it collected, washed and used again for the subscription service.
Walmart has set a goal to achieve zero waste in own operations in the U.S. and Canada, by 2025, and they’re working with suppliers to use less packaging, design for recyclability and improve waste reduction systems.
“While plastic provides numerous benefits, society has been unable to collect and manage it at the same rate as it is produced. To achieve zero plastic waste, we are working across our business, with suppliers, governments, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and other industry leaders to:
Optimize product packaging at Walmart and beyond, using less plastic and aiming for 100% reusable, recyclable or industrially compostable packaging
Reduce reliance on plastic bags
Engage customers to reduce, reuse and recycle
Reduce operational waste
Catalyze innovations in waste reduction systems “.
A first step was a recent pilot project limited to a single store near the New York metro area.
Walmart just released today its quarterly report, announcing net sales exceeding $150 billions in Q4. That’s a lot of people shopping every day in their stores, and it’s obvious that a sustainable move on every purchase made at Walmart can make an impact.
“We had another strong quarter to finish off a strong year. We have momentum in our business in all three segments. We’re being aggressive with our plans and executing on the strategy. It’s exciting to see how the teams are simultaneously navigating today’s challenges and reshaping our business” says Doug McMillon, President and CEO, Walmart.
”Walmart continues to be a leader in sustainability, corporate philanthropy and employment opportunity” is clearly written on Walmart’s mission in the press release.
Zero + Zero = ?
by Anthony
If you're french, you might know the jock but this isn't about it today. We're talking about the startup Zero that aims to deliver groceries with Zero packaging and Zero fees. That is interesting enough to write an article in nouveau monde.
All over the world we see the rising (and the consolidation) of the fast delivery ecosystem : get your groceries in less than 10 minutes, that's really fast ! And maybe not that sustainable (economically and environmentally speaking).
So, what does Zero offer that is so interesting? Well, just a mix of two ingredients that are pretty trendy nowadays :
First, at Zero, you can buy all that a grocery store should propose but everything is packaging free.
And they deliver your order in less than 2 hours, it's not 10 minutes, but 2 hours is generally OK for must use cases in my opinion.
And, they do so at a price point that is pretty fair (for the area they're already in), with no delivery fees and no membership fees.
I noticed Zero because they just raised $11.8 millions after a first round of $4.7 millions, given that the company started in 2019, it's a pretty fair amount of money.
And when you know that they operate only in the San Francisco area and in Los Angeles, you understand that with this raising, they are fueled to spread the US.
As always in the US, with money pouring at the beginning of a company, Zero is able to test its concept and its business model and might raise prices or reintroduce some fees when the shareholders will ask for profitability, we'll see in the future.
But, this newsletter is here to open the minds, see what's possible to do and maybe try and build something great!
In France and Europe, we have different solutions of this kind but I don't know a company that delivers packaging free goods for free. Do you? If so, leave a comment.
I have 2 solutions that come to my mind that are close to this :
"le drive tout nu" which, like its name says in french, offers a drive through solution of packaging free items in 1 hour. They also deliver in one location with a small fee of 5,90€.
PicNic delivers for free (even in my small town in the suburbs!) but doesn't offer packaging free items (and delivers at fixed times, which is great!)
I'll try to check how Zero is doing in the US in the next months and update you!
Bonus track by Anthony
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