Thursday, September 02, 2010
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KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT TAGS
"Corporate Social Responsibility"
Walmart to force environmental change
In a move which could have huge implications for the entire retail sector, the world's largest retailer Walmart has confirmed plans to put eco-ratings on all of its products.
The first part of its three-stage strategy, Walmart will question its 100,000 suppliers about their business practices with the aim of producing a green index for all of Walmart sold goods, in a similar fashion to the nutritional labels which can be found on food products today. The 15 straightforward questions (see below) will provide Walmart with for more information on the environmental and ethical behavior of their suppliers and, in time, is certain to force change through the supply chain.
The news was communicated to 1,500 of its suppliers, associates and sustainability leaders yesterday. "Customers want products that are more efficient, that last longer and perform better," said Mike Duke, Walmart's president and CEO. "And increasingly they want information about the entire lifecycle of a product so they can feel good about buying it. They want to know that the materials in the product are safe, that it was made well and that it was produced in a responsible way.
"We do not see this as a trend that will fade. Higher customer expectations are a permanent part of the future. At Walmart, we're working to make sustainability sustainable, so that it's a priority in good times and in the tough times. An important part of that is developing the tools to help enable sustainable consumption."
The 15 questions that Walmart will ask its 100,000 suppliers are:
Energy and Climate: Reducing Energy Costs and Greenhouse Gas Emissions
1. Have you measured your corporate greenhouse gas emissions?
2. Have you opted to report your greenhouse gas emissions to the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP)?
3. What is your total annual greenhouse gas emissions reported in the most recent year measured?
4. Have you set publicly available greenhouse gas reduction targets? If yes, what are those targets?
Material Efficiency: Reducing Waste and Enhancing Quality
1. If measured, please report the total amount of solid waste generated from the facilities that produce your product(s) for Walmart for the most recent year measured.
2. Have you set publicly available solid waste reduction targets? If yes, what are those targets?
3. If measured, please report total water use from facilities that produce your product(s) for Walmart for the most recent year measured.
4. Have you set publicly available water use reduction targets? If yes, what are those targets?
Natural Resources: Producing High Quality, Responsibly Sourced Raw Materials
1. Have you established publicly available sustainability purchasing guidelines for your direct suppliers that address issues such as environmental compliance, employment practices and product/ingredient safety?
2. Have you obtained 3rd party certifications for any of the products that you sell to Walmart?
People and Community: Ensuring Responsible and Ethical Production
1. Do you know the location of 100 percent of the facilities that produce your product(s)?
2. Before beginning a business relationship with a manufacturing facility, do you evaluate the quality of, and capacity for, production?
3. Do you have a process for managing social compliance at the manufacturing level?
4. Do you work with your supply base to resolve issues found during social compliance evaluations and also document specific corrections and improvements?
5. Do you invest in community development activities in the markets you source from and/or operate within?
Procurement Tags - Corporate Social Responsibility, Walmart
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