
The Collaboration Payoff 57
Walmart had a negative reputation, particularly in metro areas where it had
few stores and wanted to open more. e sustainability message originally
seemed like a good marketing strategy for improving Walmart’s relationships
with new potential customers. But in 2005, Scott began what he has
described as a journey to see sustainability as something bigger—something
essential to Walmart’s long-term viability. e company’s leadership came to
see pollution as synonymous with waste, and there’s nothing more taboo in
Walmart’s culture than waste. Waste costs money that could be used to
lower prices; lower prices drive ...