Wal-Mart in the News


The world must have ended. I can’t think of another reason for Mark Morford to to give Wal-Mart some love in today’s San Francisco Chronicle. If you’ve not read his almost stream-of-consciousness rants before, Morford’s politics make me look conservative.

What caused this about-face? Wal-Mart has announced a green tint to company policies: Renewable energy, alternate fuels, and eco-friendly store design top the megacorporation’s agenda.

Unlike their move to organic products, this initiative doesn’t make one suspicious that they’ll push the government to loosen the definitions. That’s because, as Morford points out, the retail giant hopes to improve their bottom line with the new policies. And nothing inspires corporate sincerity like cold, hard cash.

If Wal-Mart pulls off this shift, you can bet that other companies will jump on the bandwagon. It would be the ultimate proof of concept. And we’ll all be better off. Now if only they would treat their employees like human beings.

In other Wal-Mart news, the Stay Free! blog reports that Wal-Mart Watch distributed anti-Wal-Mart flyers outside a New York store. Too bad the flyers look like Wal-Mart paid for them. Oops. Someone needs to tell these activists how to win the masses to their cause. The joke proved to be too subtle.



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May 24th, 2006
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Comment Number:
1
Written by:
Marc
Posted on:
May 26, 2006 at 12:24 pm

My opinion is that all of WalMart’s “going green” talk is about the bottom line. Remember their “Made in the U.S.A.” campaign? That didn’t support their bottom line, so they switched to off-shore suppliers.

Here’s a subtle thing that would prove me wrong: when they buy new trucks. The 2007 model year will introduce truck engines that nearly zero particulate (smoke, soot) emissions because of diesel particulate filter technology. It will be a mini-revolution: smoke-free trucks.

But because of the new equipment, the trucks will cost several thousand dollars more and have slightly lower fuel economy. If WalMart makes a huge purchase at the end of the 2006 model year, green transportation is not their concern.

Then, in 2010, even cleaner truck engines will be produced, and again there will be a price premium. Will WalMart make a huge pre-buy in 2009? Or will they go with the green transportation option?

The EPA has plenty of background about these historic changes (www.epa.gov/otaq/hd-hwy.htm , for example)

Comment Number:
2
Written by:
Derrick Schneider
Posted on:
May 26, 2006 at 4:49 pm

Marc,

I agree that they’ll go green precisely as much as they need to increase their profits. But even if they opt out of the new trucks (thanks for that info, by the way), if they can demonstrate that at least some green practices actually help the bottom line (as opposed to the prevailing wisdom), then other business will jump right on that practice, and when more are focused on the issue, prices for things like the trucks will go down.

Probably that’s idealistic thinking, but I do believe that other businesses will watch this move carefully.