Paper, Plastic or Reusable Tote? New Questions at Wal-Mart Checkout

In one of many recent green moves Wal-Mart is now giving shoppers the option to skip paper or plastic at the checkout and purchase a reusable tote instead. The totes are available for $1, embroidered with the slogan “Paper or plastic? Neither.” and made from 85% recycled materials.

Plastic bags are environmental evils. In the U.S. alone, we throw away 100 billion plastic bags each year — the equivalent of 12 million barrels of oil, yikes! - so it is good to see that one of the largest retailers in the country is (finally) giving consumers a more environmentally friendly option.

Wal-Mart is picking up on sustainability because of consumer demand but the corporation is making bonafide green decisions. Last week the company hosted the Wal-Mart Live Better Sustainability Summit with a long list of eco-heavies in attendance like Cradle to Cradle pioneers McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry (MBDC). Even though still a billion dollar big-box store, it’s getting harder to hate Wal-Mart.

Other changes to the retailer are in the product lines including sustainable electronics, organic foods and eco-friendlier laundry detergent.

via TreeHugger

Wal-Mart: Green, greener or greenwashing?