How to Fill out Wal-Mart’s Sustainable Packaging Scorecard

A little over four months ago, Wal-Mart asked demanded its suppliers to comply with its new “Sustainable Packaging Scorecard” Initiative. While the move bolstered Wal-Mart’s public image as a benevolent force for good, through its requirement that all its retailers cut down on packaging, (in addition to providing the necessary paperwork) it set up yet another set of collateral obstacles for suppliers who were already struggling in the midst of Wal-Mart’s requirements (such as the RFID tag requirement, which eventually fizzled out). 

Two months after the deadline passed for completing the tedious scorecards, we noted that less than 50% of Wal-Mart’s products had been rated according to Wal-Mart’s demanded metrics.  Much of this had to do with suppliers’ reluctance to accede to another mandate that provided little value or opportunity for growth.  In light of the confusion and frustration experienced by suppliers, Wal-Mart partnered with Efficient Collaborative Retail Marketing to offer an informative class on how to “efficiently enter packages into the scorecard” and “proactively find ways to improve package scores.” The catch was the steep cost: $899 per person for a one-day workshop.

Rather than outsourcing the project of sustainability to its “supplier-partners” - a sham considering that Wal-Mart gives its suppliers little financial leeway to work with its requirements - Wal-Mart should first take serious its own commitments to sustainability before requiring others to do the same.

Posted by Tony Calero on Monday, June 16, 2008

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