Second–Yes, these are inevitably subjective. So long as a broad array of retailers, suppliers and academics reach agreement in an open way on all this, I don’t mind if there is “one truth.” We need to know more than we do now to render a judgment. For example, will all this be third-party verified or self-reported? More to come….this is worthy of a posting of its own.

From Wal-Mart’s Website:

Supplier Sustainability Assessment: 15 Questions for Suppliers
Energy and Climate: Reducing Energy Costs and Greenhouse Gas Emissions
1. Have you measured your corporate greenhouse gas emissions?
2. Have you opted to report your greenhouse gas emissions to the Carbon Disclosure Project
(CDP)?
3. What is your total annual greenhouse gas emissions reported in the most recent year
measured?
4. Have you set publicly available greenhouse gas reduction targets? If yes, what are those
targets?
Material Efficiency: Reducing Waste and Enhancing Quality
1. If measured, please report the total amount of solid waste generated from the facilities that
produce your product(s) for Walmart for the most recent year measured.
2. Have you set publicly available solid waste reduction targets? If yes, what are those targets?
3. If measured, please report total water use from facilities that produce your product(s) for
Walmart for the most recent year measured.
4. Have you set publicly available water use reduction targets? If yes, what are those targets?
Natural Resources: Producing High Quality, Responsibly Sourced Raw Materials
1. Have you established publicly available sustainability purchasing guidelines for your direct
suppliers that address issues such as environmental compliance, employment practices and
product/ingredient safety?
2. Have you obtained 3rd party certifications for any of the products that you sell to Walmart?
People and Community: Ensuring Responsible and Ethical Production
1. Do you know the location of 100 percent of the facilities that produce your product(s)?
2. Before beginning a business relationship with a manufacturing facility, do you evaluate the
quality of, and capacity for, production?
3. Do you have a process for managing social compliance at the manufacturing level?
4. Do you work with your supply base to resolve issues found during social compliance
evaluations and also document specific corrections and improvements?
5. Do you invest in community development activities in the markets you source from and/or
operate within?

Great conference thus far! Been following via Twitter

That sounds scary to me.