Back in July, Wal-Mart announced the creation of a worldwide sustainability index, and the supply chain management world was immediately talking about the implications - and realities - inherent in this new initiative. Wal-Mart's intention is to develop the sustainability index over a period of time, in three phases - the final being the implementation of product labels that clearly rate the environmental and sustainable aspects of the product. The overall goal is to take a "research-driven approach" to measure sustainability so consumers can make educated product-buying decisions in the store. But will Wal-mart succeed in revolutionizing the way products are labeled in the future?
