“What on earth does the Walmart Sustainability Index have to do with me?” We hear that question frequently when this subject comes up. And, the answers may indeed surprise you since there are likely many answers – not just one. 

For starters, over 100 million people shop at Walmart every week. Yes, really. Actually, it’s closer to 140 million a week. Walmart is hanging in quite well, even in this rough and tumble economy. 

“So what?” you ask. Well, since the day the largest retailer in the country made this announcement on July 16, 2009 announcing the creation of the sustainability index, a lot of companies have been scampering to figure out how to catch up and remain a vendor long term. Those are just the companies “directly” affected. What’s now beginning to surface is the trickle down effect to every single supplier that fits in the chain. And, as other retailers have jumped on and said, “Hey, we’re in too,” the impact is spreading deep and wide.

So, it’s this simple. Stop and think of anything from raw materials, a service of some sort, all the way through to a finished product you offer that eventually ends up touching something offered on a Walmart shelf, and you’ll start to see how, indeed, this does affect you.

Any company is only as green as the least green member in their supply chain. And, if that’s you, you just might find you’re no longer in the chain. It’s time to get busy – before you are removed from the chain…