Walmart, the world’s largest retailer, has recently set sights to become more sustainable. How, might you ask, will this company that differentiates itself in the market with “everyday low prices,” be able to maintain low prices while encouraging sustainability? The company plans to do this by incorporating sustainability into their productivity loop.

Walmart’s productivity loop.

Jeff Rice, Walmart’s Director of Sustainability describes sustainability at Walmart as follows:

Jeff Rice, Walmart’s Director of Sustainability.

“Price and sustainability really go hand in hand. Becoming a more sustainable business will make you a more efficient business. It absolutely supports everyday low prices.”

I believe that in general, all consumers want to buy greener, more sustainable products, however they do not want to pay for higher prices. Price competitiveness hinders a company’s ability to promote sustainability through their products and/or services while maintaining high profit margins. The resulting increase in prices discourages many companies from becoming more sustainable, especially for small companies or companies that differentiate itself with low costs. It will be interesting to see how Walmart plans to incorporate a sustainability strategy without sacrificing their low prices. If successful, Walmart can make a huge impact on the world by being an active contributor in sustainability.