Credible measurement of social and environmental ROI continues to nag the responsibility movement.  A new entry into the field is Walmart's Sustainable Product Index.  How are you scaling your efforts to produce metrics that matter? 

For a complete list of the questions, visit walmartstores.com. Here's the research plan:

Index Step 1: Supplier Assessment

Walmart will provide each of its 100,000 global suppliers with a survey of 15 simple, but powerful, questions to evaluate their own company’s sustainability. The questions are divided into four areas:

• Energy and Climate
• Natural resources
• Material efficiency
• People and Community

Walmart will ask its top tier U.S. suppliers to complete the survey by Oct.1. Outside the United States, the company will develop timelines on a country-by-country basis for suppliers to complete the survey.

Index Step 2: Lifecycle Analysis Database

As a second step, Walmart is helping create a consortium of universities that will collaborate with suppliers, retailers, NGOs and government to develop a global database of information on the lifecycle of products – from raw materials to disposal. Walmart will provide the initial funding for the consortium, but it is not our intention to create or own this index.

The company will also partner with one or more leading technology companies to create an open platform that will power the index.

Index Step 3: A Simple Tool for Consumers

The final step of the index is to provide customers with product information in a simple, convenient, easy to understand rating, so they can make choices and consume in a more sustainable way. How that information is delivered to consumers is still undetermined, but could take the form of a numeric score, color code or some other type of label. The sustainability consortium will help determine the scoring process in the coming months and years.

Originally posted @ Ann Oliveri