On July 26th Fortune Magazine published a cover story on Wal-Mart under the banner “Wal-Mart Saves the Planet, Well Not Quite…”
Something is going on here that I’m not quite sure we understand.
Whether you believe Wal-Mart is the devil incarnate or are a cheerleader for what they are doing, the truth lies somewhere else.
Call me crazy – but I believe this is a bigger, more significant, pattern changing event. We can’t understand it by looking back – we need to understand it as a new possibility that is rushing toward us. The future in the making.
Think, the end of the cold war, the Berlin wall coming down, our first trip to the moon.
That is not to say it’s all good, but here are 7 things to ponder...
- First, read Mark Gunther’s article. While he took my quote out of context, it’s still a great story!
a. When will we see real corporate transparency in the form of a corporate responsibility report that adheres to Global Reporting Initiative guidelines?
b. When will Lee Scott sit down with Andy Stern (head of the labor union) to have an honest open conversation?
c. What are they doing and what are they willing to do (and by when) to provide health care insurance to all employees?
d. What percentage of its organic purchases is Wal-Mart willing to commit to purchasing locally?
In the meantime, here's my (out of context) quote from the article:
"Wal-Mart's more serious now, but skeptics remain. Jeffrey Hollender is president of Seventh Generation, a Burlington, Vt., maker of nontoxic household products. Though Scott met with Hollender in Bentonville and offered to carry some of his line, Hollender declined. 'We might sell a lot more products in giant mass-market outlets, but we're not living up to our own values and helping the world get to a better place if we sell our soul to do it,' he says."
Here's an excerpt of my email to Mark suggesting how my remarks might be better portrayed:
Thanks, see my comments below in CAPS
On 7/18/06 2:39 PM, "Marc Gunther" wrote:
Hi Jeffrey,
I literally have two paragraphs in which to deal with Seventh Generation in my Wal-Mart story. I hope to come back and address this is my more detail in an Internet column that I now do weekly. I wonder if you would mind taking a look at what I wrote, below, and offer any corrections or suggestions.
cheers,
Marc
Not everyone's buying into the vision. Jeffrey Hollender is president of Seventh Generation, a Burlington, Vermont-based firm that calls itself the leading brand of non-toxic household products, including 100% recycled paper towels, bathroom and facial tissues, phosphate-free cleaning, dish and laundry products, chlorine-free baby diapers and wipes. You would assume that Seventh Generation would be an ideal partner for the new, green Wal-Mart and, in fact, Scott met with Hollender last year in Bentonville and offered to carry some of his products.
Hollender has declined. WHILE HE APPLAUDS WAL-MART’S PROGRESS & COMITTMENT TOWARD BECOMING A MORE RESPONSIBLE COMPANY, He's concerned about Wal-Mart business practices--its wages, health care plans, supply chain and the like. "We might sell a lot more products in giant mass market outlets, but we're not living up to our own values and really helping the world get to a better place if we sell our soul to do it," he says. Hollender also worries that being sold in Wal-Mart might tarnish his brand.
