ShareThisThe problem of saving the planet one purchase at a time doesn't seem to be a difficult one to grasp. Just to solve.
Consider the kitchen stocked with dolphin safe tuna, fair trade coffee and certified organic produce.
The refrigerator gets a good Energy Star rating, the wall paint was certified under the EcoLogo program and the light bulbs were suggested by Home Depot's Eco Options.
Are carbon emissions more important than treatment of coffee growers? How do paint fumes and pesticides play into the future the planet? Where does protecting the ocean's resources fit into the equation?
"It's a complex area because what is green is changing and it's multidimensional," said Anastasia O'Rourke, co-founder of sustainability issues firm Big Room Inc. in Vancouver, British Columbia.
There's no end of efforts by retailers and suppliers and various organizations to help guide shopping choices based on sustainability issues -- to the point that many consumers are either confused or skeptical about claims on labels.
"That is definitely a problem, and a lot of people have identified that as a problem," said O'Rourke, whose company last year tried to help out by producing a directory of more than 280 eco-labels used around the world on nearly 500,000 products.
Next up, an iPhone app to help shoppers understand eco labels and offer recommendations as they are standing in a store.
Last month, heavyweight retailer Wal-Mart threw its heft behind a plan to create a worldwide sustainable product index that would produce yet another rating system.
It's hard to tell if the move will strike a blow for green clarity or just be another piece of the puzzling process.
Wal-Mart plans to survey suppliers -- about 100,000 of them -- on issues such as greenhouse gas emissions, water use, community reinvestment and raw material sources.
The retailer also is backing a consortium involving universities that would work with retailers, government agencies and other interested parties.
"We want to spur the development of a common database that will allow the consortium to collect and analyze the knowledge of the global supply chain," said Wal-Mart CEO Mike Duke.
The big company's sustainability shove has been received with a mix of support and skepticism from those who know the Bentonville, Ark., retailer's history.
Wal-Mart has, with mixed success, used its acres of shopping racks to push such causes as more efficient packaging and radio frequency identification technology.
In July, the retailer's call for health care reform involving employer mandates brought a public rejection from the National Retail Federation.
On the sustainability front, Dan Butler, vice president of retail operations with the Washington-based trade group, applauded Wal-Mart for trying to be a leader, but he didn't discount the complications.
Butler has talked to as many as 300 different retailers who are all at work on some piece of this issue, whether it's green marketing or merchandising or environmentally sensitive construction or recycling. They all have a different style, he said.
"The challenge becomes expecting everyone to do everything the way you want them to be done. It's not very realistic," he said.
While a number of suppliers have been quoted as indicating a willingness to work with Wal-Mart on its sustainability project, bloggers have questioned whether the push will create new costs for those trying to earn good ratings.
Many suppliers have already been at work on their own systems and products. In some cases, changes were driven by cost cutting from better packaging and energy use. Consumer demand and competition also has spurred many on. Suppliers have to meet certain standards if they want to serve various retailers.
"We don't see it as a fad," Butler said. "This isn't something that's going to pass in a year or two. Retailers are making permanent changes."
O'Rourke praised the initial outline of Wal-Mart's plan because the retailer seems to be acknowledging work already done. Among 15 questions being sent to suppliers are ones asking if a manufacturer has reported greenhouse gas emissions to the Carbon Disclosure Project or if it already has received certain third-party certifications.
"A lot of companies have already done that work," she noted.
Contact Teresa F. Lindeman at tlindeman(at)post-gazette.
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)
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