Wal-Mart in China: Going Green Despite the Downturn

Wal-Mart’s push to make its stores and suppliers in China more environmentally-friendly cuts to the heart of one of the big debates these days: Is a “green economy” the antidote to or a potential victim of the economic crisis?  Wal-Mart’s drive to make its Bejing stores more energy-efficient and to force local suppliers to comply with stricter environmental standards means additional short-term costs. Wal-Mart had to special order the new, efficient lights for its Chinese superstores, for instance. But Wal-Mart has always preached the bottom-line benefits of its green conversion, arguing that energy efficiency and streamlined production and shipping mean lower costs in the long run. That’s the pitch Wal-Mart president and chief executive H. Lee Scott is trying out on recalcitrant Chinese suppliers already thumped by rising costs and closing factories. Image source: AP / blogs.wsj.com. > Continue.
News selected by Covalence | Country: China | Company: Wal-Mart | Source: Environmental Capital – Wall Street Journal