Wal-Mart held a webcast and a conference call with several journalists and bloggers kicking off their new sustainable efforts. The retailer said it was starting new work towards transparency and sustainability, and also announced its new Sustainability Index.

Wal-Mart has begun taking a "lifecycle approach," per CEO Mike Duke, where the company factors in everything from packaging to recycling. Citing the Zero Waste Initiative, executives and shareholders explained how they had not only dramatically altered internal processes in favor of efficiency and sustainability, but were striving towards greater transparency.

Part of transparency involves product traceability, something that was brought up at several points during the webcast. Seeing a larger player like Wal-Mart make the commitment will be judged by its implementation, though the sentiment may be admirable.

Duke added that these are part of a growing effort to meet higher consumer expectations, not only in regards to environmental impacts, but in terms of transparency especially in light of the current speed of information and the increasing consumer shrewdness. He emphasized that consumption itself needs to be revolutionized, by Wal-Mart through sustainability.

The Sustainability Index will be a database of information regarding how environmentally aware the entire production and distribution process is. Thursday saw the release of a questionnaire that will press companies about their emissions targets and certifications, among others.

Wal-Mart will be asking 15 simple questions. The questions can be found here.

An article recently printed in the New York Times quoted Michelle Harvey at the Environmental Defense Fund as saying "Nobody else could pull this off."

In the conference call following the webcast, Senior Vice president for Sustainability Matt Kistler said that he saw certification playing a "very large role in the future with us." He explained that while the Index results will provide more intimate manufacturing connections, "consumer-facing elements are not expected for several years, though we may accelerate that number.

During the webcast, Wal-Mart discussed its flat panel TV energy reduction plan, which will shift to 30% more efficient products within a year. The company has also launched twelve innovation projects that are expected to save $250 million.

Wal-Mart also played a video of a dairy farm that was using methane capture to power the facility.

The company also covered some new efforts through another company under the umbrella, Sam's Club. The Sam's Club store will have a Home Efficiency Aisle, shifting focus towards new efficient products, such as a toilet that promises improvements in water conservation of 60 to 70 percent. New sustainable packaging was developed, which provided three times more durability at minimal cost.

Wal-Mart said sustainability is becoming a way to innovate and compete for an evolving customer base.

Photo courtesy of Rod Dauphin.