A Pre-Carnival Post
>> Monday, October 12, 2009
I'm writing a post for tomorrow for the Green Moms Carnival. The topic is "standards" with a specific focus on Wal-Mart's plan to create an international sustainability index. Since some of you might not know much about this index, I wanted to provide a little background information first.
Wal-Mart's plan is to have their suppliers complete a survey on the sustainability of their products. This information will be used to create lifecycle assessments of the products, which will eventually be available to consumers - most likely as a label on the products.
Wal-Mart has prepared an initial 15-question survey, covering Energy and Climate, Material Efficiency, Natural Resources, and People and Community, but they have invited others to help further develop the survey and create the sustainability index by participating in a sustainability consortium.
Now here's the kicker.
The cost to be a part of this group is $250,000. So who gets a say in the development of this important index? Only the big boys. Consumers are not invited.
Is that fair? And if I could come up with $250,000 and participate in the consortium, what would I want to make sure is in the index criteria? That's what I'll be looking at tomorrow...
If you could participate in the consortium, what would you say?
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2 comments:
Of course! Yet another way for them to make money, just with a green wrapper. Wal-Mart makes me ill.
@Allison - I'm with you. I only shop at Walmart when I'm visiting family, and then it's only because there's no other place to shop in the small town where they live (because Walmart put all the other stores out of business).
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