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U.S. and Canadian Activists Urge Walmart to Do Better for the Oceans

by Kate Melges

December 12, 2016

Last week, Greenpeace activists visited Walmart’s headquarters and first store in Arkansas to send a strong message to the company about its failure to address ocean destruction and potential labor abuse in its seafood supply chains.

Outside of Walmart’s headquarters, activists displayed images of seafood industry labor abuse survivors and impacted marine life on banners asking the company, “Walmart, is your seafood safe for oceans and workers?”

A similar message was also deployed on a balloon banner inside Walmart’s first-ever store a few miles away. We distributed fliers on Walmart’s troubling record throughout its hometown and removed Great Value canned tuna from store shelves, putting it inside a closed metal cage.

Meanwhile, Greenpeace Canada launched Great ValueS, a spoof canned tuna product, complete with transit ads, mobile billboards, and promotion in five cities across the country. Great ValueS is the product over 80,000 consumers want to see, responsibly sourced tuna.

Walmart is the largest retailer in the world and a major buyer and seller of seafood. While the company talks a big sustainability game, its seafood sourcing policies and practices are failing our oceans, seafood workers, and its customers.

Walmart’s Great Value canned tuna leaves a trail of destruction from sea to shelf, and customers deserve to know what they are getting when they reach for a can of Great Value tuna.

Check out some of our favorite photos from the activities over the past week.

Greenpeace Canada spoof launch of Great ValueS canned tuna.

Greenpeace Canada spoof launch of Great ValueS canned tuna. Photo by Greenpeace Canada

Greenpeace activists visit a Walmart store in Bentonville, Arkansas on December 7, 2016. They deployed a balloon banner and cleared some tuna cans off the shelves as a message to the company and shoppers that Walmart can do more to protect the oceans and workers. Walmart's Great Value tuna is supplied by Thai Union, the world's largest canned tuna company and the subject of numerous investigations into human rights abuses at sea. While Thai Union has taken initial steps toward ridding its supply chains of labor abuses and seeking solutions to destructive fishing, Walmart has remained silent on its role in selling the potentially tainted seafood.

Greenpeace activists visit a Walmart store in Bentonville, Arkansas on December 7, 2016. They deployed a balloon banner and cleared some tuna cans off the shelves as a message to the company and shoppers that Walmart can do more to protect the oceans and workers.

Great ValueS spoof canned tuna. The product over 80,000 consumers want to see Walmart commit to.

Great ValueS spoof canned tuna. The product over 80,000 consumers want to see from Walmart. Photo by Greenpeace Canada

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Great ValueS spoof ad at a bus shelter in Canada. Photo by Greenpeace Canada

Greenpeace activists bring a message to Walmart's home office front door on ocean destruction and labor abuse in Bentonville, Arkansas on December 6, 2016. Walmart's Great Value tuna is supplied by Thai Union, the world's largest canned tuna company and the subject of numerous investigations into human rights abuses at sea. While Thai Union has taken initial steps toward ridding its supply chains of labor abuses and seeking solutions to destructive fishing, Walmart has remained silent on its role in selling the potentially tainted seafood. Photo by Tazz

Walmart is the largest retailer in the world and a major buyer and seller of seafood. While the company talks a big sustainability game, its seafood sourcing policies and practices are failing our oceans, seafood workers, and its customers.

Seafood workers and our oceans can no longer afford empty promises and delays from the world’s largest retailer. Either the company decides to embrace its so-called values by making meaningful change, or we will continue to hold them accountable.

Tell Walmart to save oceans and protect workers.

Kate Melges

By Kate Melges

Kate Melges is an oceans campaigner based in Seattle. She leads Greenpeace’s Ocean Plastics work. Kate’s focus is ending the flow of plastic pollution into the ocean.

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