Walmart to Introduce "Sustainable Product Index"

Giant retailer Walmart has announced plans to develop a "worldwide sustainable product index."

According to Mike Duke, Walmart's president and CEO, "Customers want products that are more efficient, that last longer and perform better. And increasingly they want information about the entire lifecycle of a product so that they can feel good about buying it. They want to know what materials in the product are safe, that is was made well and that it was produced in a responsible way."

The first step in the initiative is to survey the more than 100,000 global suppliers. Among the topics asked about will be energy and climate, material efficiency and use of natural resources.

The second step will consist of developing "a database of information on the lifecycle of products -- from raw materials to disposal."

The third step will involve developing the index and establishing a rating system for customers to assess product sustainability.

Will Walmart be able to achieve what many governments have shied away from? Or is this another example of "greenwashing" that will amount to little more than a series of press releases and promotional stunts? Come to think of it, some may say that this latter comment rather sounds like how many governments already approach these issues.