Sam's Club Plans to Make Member's Mark More Sustainable
Club retailer Sam’s Club has announced new initiatives for its Member’s Mark brand that focus on making the private label more purpose-driven.
The retailer is introducing a new identity for Member’s Mark – “Made with Our Member and Planet in Mind” – that comes with an aspiration for all items to be of the highest quality while featuring trend-right innovation and a focus on people and the planet. The club retailer says it has launched, renovated and reformulated more than 1,200 items since 2020, citing new demand amid increased traffic in recent months.
In addition to sustainability goals, Sam’s Club is also updating Member Mark’s logo and design, which will roll out over the next 18 months.
“The Sam’s Club member is at the center of everything we do, so as we continue to evolve the Member’s Mark brand, we intend to develop items that are reflective of the ingredients, processes and materials they want – and don’t want – in their products,” said Prathibha Rajashekhar, SVP of private brands and sourcing at Walmart-owned Sam’s Club. “Now, as we introduce new Member’s Mark items and renovate existing ones, we are making decisions that not only focus on quality, innovation and value, but on the impact we are making on the world around us.”
Sam’s Club says it will remove certain ingredients from Member’s Mark food and consumable products, while increasing its assortment of items that are made sustainably, along with more recyclable, reusable and compostable packaging. Sam’s Club says it plans to take an active role in reducing the brand’s environmental footprint by calling for suppliers of Member’s Mark items to participate in Walmart’s signature private sector consortium to reduce or avoid one billion metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions: Project Gigaton.
"Sam’s Club has also set an aspiration to source Member’s Mark items more responsibly and to create inclusive economic opportunities by diversifying its supplier base over the years,” said the company. “Above all, Sam’s Club aims to embrace a regenerative mindset as it develops Member’s Mark items, placing nature, humanity, and its members at the center of item innovation and renovation. As it continues to innovate Member’s Mark items, Sam’s Club will partner closely with the Walmart Sustainability team and leverage the My Member’s Mark Community, a group formed in 2019 that includes more than 40,000 Sam’s Club members who provide feedback and input on Member’s Mark items throughout every phase of a product’s lifecycle.”
Sam’s Club, a division of Bentonville, Ark.-based Walmart Inc., operates nearly 600 clubs in the United States and Puerto Rico. Walmart operates about 10,500 stores under 48 banners in 24 countries, and e-commerce websites, employing 2.2 million-plus associates worldwide. Walmart U.S. is No. 1 on The PG 100, PG’s 2021 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America, while Sam’s Club ranks ninth.
