Filed under: Consumer experience, Wal-Mart (WMT), Recession

Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) has announced that it will pay more for “green” products. The company is making a commitment to sourcing good quality products that will be better for the environment.

Reuters reports “bad quality products create waste, and so having tighter standards on the social side, on the environmental side and on the quality side will reduce waste,” Matt Koestler, Wal-Mart’s senior vice president of sustainability, said. The company has also been making a drive to use more renewable energy.

Wal-Mart already is feeling the stress of a slowing economy. Its same-store sales were weak last month, especially in the US. That means it is not likely that it will absorb these higher costs for “green” products. Customers are likely to get that privilege.

The news highlights the growing tensions about using “green” products and services, which very often have a higher price. Hybrid cars often cost as much as $5,000 more that their gas-driven counter-parts.

With money tight, especially for low- and middle-class shoppers at Wal-Mart, skipping the “green” would probably be their preference.

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 247wallst.com.

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This entry was posted on Friday, February 8th, 2008 at 12:11 pm and is filed under Stocks Money News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.