Make Your Biz Go Green Without Going Broke

When the world's biggest retailer offers to pay up, everyone notices.

Matt Kistler, senior vice president of sustainability at Wal-Mart(WMT Quote), recently told Reuters that the company is willing to pay suppliers more for higher-quality, environmentally conscious products.

Coming from a company known for known for its aggressive -- perhaps obsessive -- cost-cutting, that's big news.

"When Wal-Mart makes a decision, it has significant impact," says Ron Pernick, co-founder and principal of Clean Edge, a research and publishing firm specializing in clean technologies. "The issue right now is that a lot of green products can't be produced to scale yet. Wal-Mart can leverage the supply chain and drive down costs." ...