FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – On May 8, the Walmart Foundation announced an $875,000 grant to the University of Arkansas for The Sustainability Consortium to expand its recent efforts to support Chinese businesses in identifying and capturing sustainability improvement opportunities in Chinese product supply chains.

This will be achieved by conducting sustainability research in two new key product categories - footwear and large appliances - and building capacity of consortium partners and related institutions to further The Sustainability Consortium's objectives. The grant also will help charter a path for future growth.  

"We're thrilled that the Walmart Foundation is helping The Sustainability Consortium lead the globalization of a more sustainable supply chain system," said Greg Lewis, director of corporate and foundation relations for the University of Arkansas. "This gift, coupled with their previous investment of $2 million for the China expansion, has made it possible for the consortium's work to have a global impact and truly improve the sustainability of the consumer goods supply chain for all retailers, manufacturers and stakeholders."

The $2 million grant from the Walmart Foundation in 2012 allowed The Sustainability Consortium to begin operations in China and started helping Chinese businesses identify and capture sustainability improvement opportunities in Chinese product supply chains. With China's enormous impact on global trade systems, there is tremendous benefit to be gained if stakeholder groups understand and help build and adopt a globally harmonized method of researching, measuring and communicating sustainability standards and good practices across the full lifecycle of products.

The recent announcement was made by Guy Robertson, vice president of global sourcing for Walmart, at a high-level forum in Beijing titled "Sustainability Policy and Practice - Promoting a Sustainable Supply Chain."

The forum, co-hosted by The Sustainability Consortium, Columbia Global Centers-East Asia; Columbia University's Earth Institute, and China Environmental United Certification Center, addressed experiences, strategies and best practices in sustainable development, focusing on the supply chain and the opportunity to bolster Chinese enterprise and create a positive impact on sustainability in China. Included was a review of the work undertaken by The Sustainability Consortium in developing the sustainability index over the past two and a half years.

"At Walmart, sustainability requires collaboration with NGOs, government agencies, suppliers and many other partners, spanning all the major areas of its supply chain, including suppliers, logistics, store operations and customers," said Robertson. "Over the past year, more than 100 of our largest direct suppliers in China are actively using the sustainability index developed by The Sustainability Consortium to evaluate their product sustainability; these efforts reinforce our commitment to help the People of China live better."

The significant new funding supports the extension of partnership between Walmart China and The Sustainability Consortium in further developing their collaboration in sustainability.

"The Sustainability Consortium mission is to create more sustainable consumer products across sectors and throughout entire product lifecycles," stated Sheila Bonini, chief executive officer of the consortium. "A significant amount of consumer goods impact is in the supply chain, and China is central to the global consumer product supply chain. This grant will enable the consortium to further our mission and expand the impact of our work in China, which will have meaningful global implications."

About the Sustainability Consortium: The Sustainability Consortium, which is jointly administered by Arizona State University and the University of Arkansas with additional operations at Wageningen UR in the Netherlands and Nanjing University in China, is a global nonprofit organization working at the intersection of science and business to enable the consumer goods industry to develop, produce and sell more sustainable products. The consortium creates tools, strategies and services that are based in science, informed by stakeholders and focused on impact across the entire lifecycle of consumer products, including environmental, social and economic imperatives. The Sustainability Consortium comprises more than 100 members, including manufacturers, retailers, NGOs, civil society and corporations that work collaboratively on innovation for a new generation of products and supply networks.

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among only 2 percent of universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Arkansas among its top American public research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.