Wal-Mart makes plans to create sustainable product index

Retail giant Walmart announced plans this week to create a worldwide Sustainable Product Index. Company officials said the index will measure the environmental impact of the products its stores carry.

To create the index, Walmart is expected to do two things. First, it has a created a 15-question survey that it will send to suppliers to gauge the environmental impact of each product and company. Second, the company will fund a group of universities, retailers, suppliers, and government agencies to do a lifecycle analysis of the products. Not many details were given about this part of the plan, but we're assuming that means the group will examine the environmental impact of the creation, shipping, and disposal of each product.

The form that the Sustainable Product Index will take has not been determined. It could be a color-coded sticker, a number score, or something else, according to company officials. For more info on the index, check out this story from The Daily Green.