While Walmart preached sustainability, its buyers pushed him to lower prices by 3 or 5 % EACH YEAR

[DainBramaged]

<SNIP>

Near the end of the tour, the assistant led me inside a hangarlike plant filled with the whine of heavy machinery. Workers in jeans and T-shirts operated heavy presses, stamping metal sheets into grill lids. We sidled up to an unoccupied machine. Bits of metal glittered at its base like coins in a fountain. The assistant motioned for us to look closer, then pointed to a shoebox- size metal box affixed to one side that read "Mascot." When turned on, he proudly explained, this box slashed electricity usage. I had asked to see the factory's energy efficiency investments, and this was it.

Soon after, the assistant led me back to the parking lot. The tour was over. Mr. Ou gave me his card and told me to stay in touch.

It was never made clear to me how those energy-saving boxes exactly worked. What I did know was that Mr. Ou had welcomed me into his factory, served me tea, answered my questions, and let me snoop around. He seemed like a forward-thinking businessman with a strong belief in sustainability—exactly the right type to carry forward Walmart's vision for a leaner, greener supply chain in a country smothered by pollution.

Except, as far as Mr. Ou was concerned, that vision never came to life. And no one, he later told me, ever explained why.

<snip>

Are Walmart's Chinese Factories As Bad As Apple's?

http://motherjones.com/environment/2012/03/walmart-chin...


What's important here is to read the entire well-written article. WalMart screws the pooch yet again. Another case of smoke and nirrors.