Do Walmart shoppers really care?

  Kelli RoddaWally World (AKA Walmart) is developing a worldwide sustainable product index, which will establish a single-source of data for evaluating the sustainability of products. The three-phase program will start with a survey of Walmart’s 100,000+ suppliers. The survey will focus on four areas: energy and climate; material efficiency; natural resources; and people and community. The 15-question survey is designed to serve as a tool for the suppliers to evaluate their own sustainability efforts, according to company CEO Mike Duke. I can see companies using this to their advantage. I’m a proponent of using the sustainability mark to create a premium product. Plus, sustainability should equal fiscal responsibility and profitability. But I’m a cynical journalist, so I was immediately skeptical of Walmart’s intentions. Would a low score translate into the mondo retailer demanding a lower price for goods?

During the second phase, the company plans to create a consortium of universities that will collaborate with suppliers, retailers, NGOs and government agencies “to develop a global database of information on the lifecycle of products,” from raw materials to disposal.

Next Walmart wants to help create an open platform that will power the index. Duke told a group of reporters, “It’s not our goal to create or own this index. We want to spur the development of a common database that will allow the consortium to collect and analyze the knowledge of the global supply chain.” He calls it a “shared database” that will improve the sustainability of products and processes. Sharing is good. But the cynic in me once again wonders if they’re really going to use it for the greater good.

Make the data work for you
The final step in this process involves translating the product information collected from the surveys into a rating for consumers about the sustainability of products. How that information is delivered to consumers has not been determined, but the retailer imagines it may take the form of a numeric score or color code. But do Walmart shoppers really care? I’ve been in a lot of Walmart stores across the country – from rural areas to large, affluent cities. I think the average Walmart customer won’t give two shakes of a lamb’s tail about the sustainability score.
Those shoppers are all about value. But I bet a large portion of independent garden center customers would care.

Once this shared database takes flight, use the info to improve your production practices and supply chain, and to craft an effective message about the sustainability of your products.