Alternately called “audaciously innovative” and “self-serving greenwashing” the jury is still out on the true motivation behind the [Read More]]]> Wal-Mart, “Your source for crummy plastic stuff”,  has taken on the mantle of environmental leader with their Sustainable Product Index.  The project, initiated by Wal-Mart,  is actually managed by a consortium of industry leaders, NGO’s and university researchers.

Alternately called “audaciously innovative” and “self-serving greenwashing” the jury is still out on the true motivation behind the initiative and the ultimate value it may provide to both consumers and the environment.  To Wal-Mart’s credit they don’t call themselves a “green” company, saying only that they are actively moving in that direction.

The shear scale of the task , providing a certified sustainability rating for all products would argue against success. It has been compared to the placement of nutritional labels on food products, yet it is inherently more complex and difficult to standardize.  The process of nutritional measurement is well documented, standardized and easily tested.  The Wal-Mart initiative must start at the level of creating the standards, tests and documentation putting it miles away from the labeling end game.

Assuming Wal-Mart and the other major retailers involved succeed in creating a framework that provides accurate ratings that can be used to compare products, and assuming that consumers come to trust this system, where does that leave all the other retailers, large and small, who don’t have the clout to force suppliers into testing and compliance or who sell products from unstandardized niches?

Can a top down initiative from the biggest player in the industry really hope to drive a revolution in vendor accountablility, retailer responsibility and consumer decision making? Or do we need a more grass roots, ground up, dare we say… organic approach! Either way, this won’t happen overnight.

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Here’s what some others are saying…

Fast Company

Tree Hugger