Wal-Mart to Rate Products’ Impact on Environment

The company is expected on Thursday to announce the creation of an indexing system meant to help retailers determine the social and environmental impact of their products.

New York Times, July 15, 2009 — Wal-Mart, which has been venturing into environmentally sustainable products and business methods for the last few years, is about to announce its most ambitious effort yet on that front. And it wants the nation’s other retailers to take part.The company is expected on Thursday to announce the creation of an electronic indexing system meant eventually to help Wal-Mart and other retailers determine the social and environmental impact of every product they place on their shelves.