Why it matters:
Because Walmart just happens to be the largest retailer on the planet.
Recap:
The Los Angeles Times recently featured this article about a new Walmart program to slap an “eco-rating” on the products in its stores. The program, which is expected to take years to implement, is designed to provide consumers with the retail equivalent of “the nutritional label found on food products.”
According to Walmart Chief Executive Mike Duke, the program is a result of customers’ growing desire for “information about the entire life-cycle of a product.”
The article gives no specifics about how products will be evaluated. But the program’s initial phase will involve the retailer questioning manufacturers about the footprint of a given product (e.g. “The amount of water used in producing items”).
Commentary:
Walmart has long been considered the poster-child for money-mad, faceless, heartless, super-corporations the world over. For years the company has fought for bottom lines and black ink at the cost of its employees, the environment, and fair business practices.
But it certainly seems to be turning the corner on one of those issues. Inspired by the travels of Chairman of the Board Rob Walton, over the last half-decade the retail super-behemoth has started to show us its green side.
The world’s largest retailer has a huge carbon footprint. Of that you can be sure. But ours is (sadly) a consumer culture. And while we all can (and should) do our best to reduce consumerism, retail is a reality that looks like it’s here to stay.
The details of the program are few. And while Walmart’s motivation to create an “eco-rating” may be green of another sort, the company is leading the charge. And voluntarily.
Duke is right, consumers are becoming more eco-savvy, and when the world’s largest retailer gets greener, other super-retailers will have no choice but to fall in line, not to mention the effects on the thousands of suppliers that will have to partake in the life-cycle analysis.
But while Walmart gets its act together you can…
Creative Solutions:
- Shop Your Farmers Market
- Ask for Fair Trade
- Sustainable Clothing
- Build Sustainably
- Sustainable Furniture
- Don’t Buy Anything At All
