RFID = "green" at Wal-Mart

Guest blogger Lance Jungmeyer chiming in ...

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. continues to drive the leading edge of technology, and increasingly the giant is putting an environmental spin on its initiatives.

This story in RFID Journal http://www.rfidjournal.com/article/articleview/3284/1/1/ shows how the retailer will use RFID technology not only for logistics efficiencies, but as a way to ease its environmental impact on the planet.

"What's good for the planet is good for business," says Wal-Mart's CIO, Rollin Ford, in the article.

"Using RFID to locate errors, get to root causes and achieve accurate forecasts leads to efficiency, which leads to sustainability," Ford continues.

Wal-Mart figures to reduce the number of truck drops by better inventory management, thus reducing exhaust emissions. And there is a consumer angle to having fully stocked stores, too.

"Twenty-four million people shop our stores every day. If only 100,000 extra trips are saved by having stock there (exhaust emissions would drop)," Ford said.

Call Wal-Mart the great Satan if you want, but the retail giant is pushing along some very positive social and environmental changes. The suppliers that can meet this challenge-- and you know that Wal-Mart will require at least an equal effort from suppliers -- will benefit by being market leaders in the burgeoning sustainability movement. And this undoubtedly will make these same suppliers attractive to other retailers as well.