the greening of WALMART

To go green, Wal-Mart has had to think outside the "Bentonville Bubble." For years, the company had operated in relative isolation from its external stakeholders, including nonprofits, government agencies, consultancies, and academic institutions. Without much in-house expertise on sustainability and environmental performance, it would need to involve these stakeholders in its new plan. And so Wal-Mart began to reach out to its external stakeholders. The corporation first identified areas of maximum environmental impact and then invited stakeholders to join 14 "sustainable value networks" - such as the seafood network and the packaging network - to work toward business and environmental sustainability in each area. In return, network participants would gain information about and say in Wal-Mart's operations. More than anything else, Wal-Mart's network approach must remain profitable if it is to be sustainable in the long run.