[Grovenet] Good Citizen Wal*Mart?

[Ron D'Eau Claire]

Y'know, life gets really complicated when the supposed "bad guys" do "good
things".

Why can't the evil just stay evil and let the good guys be the heroes? 

"...Wal-Mart Stores - The world's largest retailer, known for pressuring
vendors to lower their prices, has begun pushing its 66,000 vendors to get
rid of excess packaging. 

Wal-Mart has promised to become "packaging neutral" by 2025. That means
that, through recycling, reusing or perhaps even composting, it will try to
recover as much material as was used in the packaging that flows through its
stores... 

Wal-Mart introduced a "packaging scorecard" in February that lets vendors
rate themselves on criteria like the ratio of package size to product and
whether the package uses recycled material. The company may even pay more
for products with better packaging, as long as it can recoup the money
through recycling revenue or lowered disposal costs. 

"The consumer will see the same price, we'll just be getting some of our
money at the back end," said Matt Kistler, a senior vice president for Sam's
Club, a unit of Wal-Mart.

In fact, many companies began tinkering with their packaging long before
Wal-Mart entered the fray. They do not expect consumers to buy their
products purely for the package - but they are hoping that "greener"
packages will give them a competitive edge over similar products, even as
they hold down costs. 

Procter & Gamble, for example, has introduced rigid tubes for Crest
toothpaste that can be shipped and displayed on shelves without boxes.
Aveda, a beauty products company, is expected to soon roll out a men's care
line that is packaged in bottles made of 95 percent recycled materials.

And Coca-Cola plans to cut the plastics in its Dasani water bottles by 7
percent over the next five years, just by tweaking the shape of the bottle
and the cap."

Full story:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/12/business/12package.html?th&emc=th

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In the meantime I'll continue to do battle with the plastic packaging on my
ink-jet cartridges that is stronger than the stuff they make cars out of
these days. Maybe I should see if Wal*Mart carries them...

Ron D'Eau Claire