When You Think Socially Responsible . . .
do you think Wal-Mart?
Yeah, we don't either.
Earlier this month, the Big Box Collaborative announced the release of “Wal-Mart Sustainability Initiative: A Civil Society Critique” written by 23 organizations and analyzing Wal-Mart's smoke in mirrors sustainability initiatives. This report calls on Wal-Mart to reframe their sustainability efforts so that workers, the environment and communities are all respected. Here are a couple excerpts from the sections Food & Water Watch contributed:
Food Safety
Ultimately, food retailers like Wal-Mart need to pay producers a fair price for their products so our food supply is not coming entirely from the lowest cost producers in places with lax safety standards and no labor protections.
Sustainable Seafood
In 2006, Wal-Mart announced that is was dedicated to selling only sustainable seafood in North American stores within three to five years. . . . The company’s foundation, the Walton Family Foundation, is funding Conservation International, which is collaborating with Wal-Mart and the [Marine Stewardship Council] to develop standards for sustainably sourced seafood. The reality is that it is impossible within the big-box model that Wal-Mart operates.
Read more about Wal-Mart and organics, illegal logging, toxic toys, and other critical issues or find out about the Big Box Collaborative international day of action here.
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