In today's world of globalization and the way business calculus works, companies are committed to externalizing many of their business costs to the environment, to social systems, to other countries. This approach, however, is unsustainable in the long run, both for the business as well as society. Corporations must begin to internalize some of those costs by the radical adoption of sustainability principles into business systems.

Wal-Mart, the largest company in the world, is pushing the envelope in fading its carbon footprint on the planet by driving measures towards the sustainability of the environment. And, it is not doing this alone. The juggernaut has a strong influence over its suppliers, and intends to integrate its entire supply chain in its mission.