Comments on: Hey Wal-Mart! I See Glaring Omissions in Your New Sustainability Index

By: Reenie Rogers

Reenie Rogers — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:31:18 +0000

Great!~I get cranky a lot about some of this too, and am so glad you are working on the environment. Wal Mart is a big snarfler, excuse my spelling if its wrong. I read Ecological Intelligence this year, and when I heard Wal Mart’s index I started comparing wal mart’s index with the way Daniel Goleman has recommended that consumer’s rate a product. We need to become grown up consumers. Arise. Awake, and find out what it is we are buying, using, eating, giving to our children.

Wal Mart willfully disregards the aspect of “health” when it comes to products. As you say, Beth, WM isn’t going to bother about whether ingredients are disclosed or not. This is a very sore spot and consumers are going to have to figure out a way convince companies they buy from that they MUST HAVE full disclosure on what’s in every single thing they give their money for.

Thanks for this wonderful website!

By: Lisa

Lisa — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 18:03:30 +0000

Great post Beth! Wal-Mart would have to change so much before I was willing to shop there. They have so much power it would be great if they used it for good. But yet again this seems very green washed. .-= Lisa´s last blog ..Does Climate Change Really Matter? =-.

By: Katy at Non-Toxic Kids

Katy at Non-Toxic Kids — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 01:55:36 +0000

Yeah, Beth! Great article, and I couldn’t agree more. Specifically thinking of stopping the sale of bottled water– what a sustainability statement THAT would make. It would make paying 250,000 smackers for a seat at the table small potoatoes (well, not really). It would be truly brave and righteous.

And I’m am so sick of proprietary formulas for this and that. How is it okay that we have no idea what toxic junk is in our products? Sigg is a perfect example.

I’m glad you had this late night rant!

Katy
http://www.non-toxickids.net

By: Oldnovice

Oldnovice — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 17:30:06 +0000

You're a tough customer, Beth. Even if they cleaned up their environmental act, I wouldn't shop there, so I can't justify asking them to fix anything. It does concern me that their TV advertising is so persuasive. .-= Oldnovice´s last blog ..Freezing Sweet Potatoes. =-.

By: Anna @Green Talk

Anna @Green Talk — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 15:04:48 +0000

As always, Beth, you hit the nail on the head. Walmart (excuse me not their index)…The world’s index is basically who can pay to be at the table. Is that a pay to play type standard?

By: Nick Palmer

Nick Palmer — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 14:20:00 +0000

I think the questions themselves aren’t too bad although they definitely need extra depth and more dimensions as Beth suggests.

Where such a sustainability initiative falls down is that it is not prescriptive.

If Walmart stated that they absolutely would not deal with any supplier who was not developing plans to, say, reduce their greenhouse gas emissions (and all other environmentally damaging practices) by, say, 15% a year for 15 years (would get us down to about 9% of current levels), then that would have a huge and almost instant effect on a large part of the manufacturing industries, particularly if other large retailers adopted a similar strong position.

A somewhat less drastic position would be if Walmart “added” the environmental externalities onto the price of all items. A good start would be to add the embodied carbon to the price ticket using a suitable price per tonne like the carbon cap and trade markets are working out.
.-= Nick Palmer´s last blog ..My post for Blog action day =-.

By: LaciR

LaciR — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 21:52:24 +0000

I hope you actually sent that letter, I would have…..and I think I’ll write my own right now.

By: EcoYogini

EcoYogini — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 21:11:00 +0000

BRILLIANT.
I agree, I hope you sent it to Wal-Mart.

By: Amber

Amber — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 19:01:22 +0000

I can understand why you’re cranky. You’re totally justified. Wal-Mart is the antithesis of sustainability.

I hope you know how very valuable your voice is. And I hope you get some much-needed rest.
.-= Amber´s last blog ..Why I Love the Suburbs =-.

By: Kirsten@Nexyoo

Kirsten@Nexyoo — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 16:57:50 +0000

Great article. The Sustainability Index has gotten so much positive press, and it’s good to see another perspective. Walmart has the potential to have so much impact with this, if it could be done right. As it stands now, their questions really only scratch the surface.