Kickstart: Getting on the shelves at Walmart

It's time for the makers of consumer products to polish up their sales pitches as the world's biggest retailer, Walmart Inc., opens applications for its annual Made in the U.S. Open Call.

Companies selected through the application process will have 30 minutes with Walmart buyers to convince the Bentonville, Ark.-based retailer to place their "made, grown or assembled" products on Walmart shelves. The company has set a goal to spend $350 billion on U.S.-made items within 10 years.

"Entrepreneurs can secure deals ranging from supplying products to a handful of local stores to supplying hundreds of Walmart stores and Sam's Clubs as well as Walmart.com," Walmart officials said in a news release.

This is the ninth year for company's Open Call. Past years have seen Walmart begin selling a new K'Nex line of toys and high density polyethylene plates for tacos.

This year's Open Call is set for June 28-29, with options for in-person and virtual pitches. Applications are available here and will be accepted until April 8.

While many regions are opening up again and relaxing COVID-19 restrictions, news from China is a reminder that ripples from the coronavirus continue to spread.

Both Hong Kong and Jilin province — an area with 24 million residents bordering North Korea — have been ordering lockdowns as a new wave of COVID rolls through. Jilin has a lot of auto manufacturing, but not much business that should impact global plastics directly.

The Port of Hong Kong, however, which handles 20 million containers per year, could impact shipping. The New York Times reports that the costs to ship a container from Asia to the U.S. West Coast rose about $200 in the past week, to $16,353. Dock workers have been ordered to live on-site for up to two months at a time in a move to maintain business.

A&W restaurants may be best known for their root beer, but a new plastic-free hot beverage cup may make its coffee a little more noticeable.

The Zero Cup, made by United Kingdom-based ButterflyCup, does away with lids and instead folds together securely while leaving drinking spouts to sip your hot beverage.

A&W Canada stores will be the first North American users of the cups.

"Each year, A&W Canada serves millions of takeout drinks, so finding a more sustainable single-use cup solution is one way we can make a big difference," Susan Senecal, president and CEO of A&W Canada, said in a news release. "Our new Zero Cup is an exciting step in our journey to reach zero waste. Part of achieving that mission is pioneering the innovations that people need to live more sustainable lives. This new cup is one small way Canadians can take small, simple actions, one day at a time."

Once the cup is empty, it can be recycled or composted.