Will Wal-Mart Create the New Green Standard?

There is obviously a demand now for environmentally friendly products and services. But since "eco-friendly" and "all-natural" claims are tossed around everywhere, there is quite a bit of confusion as to which products qualify as "green." So it makes sense that many have tried to create green labeling and certification systems. However, there is still no clear-cut winner.

Wal-Mart is the latest to join the game. The mega-retailer plans to partner with academics and its suppliers to create a universal sustainability index for every product it sells. Will Wal-Mart finally create the "green" standard for consumers that many have been waiting for?

It's going be difficult creating a system that's relevant to all consumers and also legitimate to environmentalists. Here are a handful of the questions Wal-Mart, like every other green labeller must ask:

• Can a company create a valid green system? Perhaps nonprofits, government agencies, even the wisdom of the crowds, are more objective. But ratings systems created by those groups (I would count the EPA's ENERGY STAR program as an exception) haven't always won widespread industry or consumer approval.
• Should the system apply a one-size-fits-all seal of approval or rank products along a tier? An "is-it-green-or-not" label like Green Seal for cleaning products may be easiest for consumers with moderate green tastes. However tiered systems such as the US Green Building Council's LEED program for buildings reward efforts that may be "more green" than others.
• Are green certifications really helping the planet? Today's "green"-labelled technologies might become so common that they aren't that green tomorrow. Furthermore, green labels might actually thwart innovation if companies prioritize designing towards the certification over creating what's best for the environment.

Photo by Flickr user "Samuel Mann," CC 2.0.