While I'm not willing to consider the possibility that Wal-Mart's doing this for purely altruistic reasons (more likely to gain new customers and burnish its public image), I do believe
this could be a genuinely good thing for the environment:
Organics at Wal-Mart: Impact could be huge
Wal-Mart Stores is throwing its weight behind organic products, a move that experts say could have the same lasting effect on environmental practices that Wal-Mart has had on prices by forcing suppliers and competitors to keep up.
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A new Supercenter that opened recently in the Dallas suburb of Plano features more than 400 organic foods as part of an experiment to see what kinds of products and interior décor can grab the interest of upscale shoppers.
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What makes Wal-Mart's efforts unique, sustainability experts say, is the retailer's sheer size and the power that gives it in relations with suppliers. Wal-Mart works closely with suppliers to shape their goods before they appear on the shelves of Wal-Mart's stores, which number nearly 4,000 in the U.S. and more than 2,200 internationally.
Even dedicated critics of Wal-Mart are admitting this could actually be a good thing:
Sierra Club Executive Director Carl Pope, who is a board member of the union-backed group Wal-Mart Watch that criticizes the retailer, said it is too soon to tell if Wal-Mart will deliver but that the impact could be good for the environment.
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Sustainability experts say what makes this program interesting is that Wal-Mart will work with its suppliers to get more fisheries around the globe certified by [sustainable fishing auditor] MSC, instead of just buying up the existing stock of certified fish.
Wal-Mart says this means there will be more sustainable fish that will also be available to its competitors, such as Whole Foods Market, which already sells about 18 MSC-certified items, according to the MSC Web site. Wal-Mart plans to offer between 200 and 250 items.
Now if only Wal-Mart could do the same thing for fair-trade products. Could you imagine the irony?