Wal-Mart may be investing in environmental initiatives to become recognized as a “green” company, but it has also been lobbying against clarification of the carbon-offset standards published in the Federal Trade Commission’s “Green Guides.”
The FTC guidelines are used to determine what products and services a company can label environmentally friendly.
The FTC hopes to clarify what companies can say about carbon offsets and renewable-energy credits, according to the Christian Science Monitor.
The credit system enables companies, and their customers, to “offset” their own globe-warming carbon dioxide emissions by supporting projects that reduce emissions by the same amount.
Several certification agencies offer these credits, but currently there are no uniform standards that define the offsets clearly.
Wal-Mart wants to keep it that way, arguing that flexibility is a reasonable approach.
Wal-Mart Watch, a group critical of the chain, says resistance to stronger guidelines is antithetical to the retail giant’s green initiatives.
–Julia Hengst/Newsdesk.org
Source:
“Why is Wal-Mart lobbying against carbon-offset guidelines?”
The Christian Science Monitor, August 7, 2009