ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Wal-Mart Stores’ latest sustainability push will focus on educating consumers and influencing their behavior. "The largest opportunity for we have is to reach our associates and start to bring this down to the consumer level," said Quanta Vetell, senior manager of public affairs and government relations. "We're getting more into bringing appreciation for things like recycling to the consumer so they'll actually do it." Vetell touched on some of Wal-Mart's strategy here yesterday during the session "The Sustainability Advantage," part of GMA's Merchandising, Sales and Marketing conference "Optimizing Performance Through Progressive Partnerships." She said that the retailer is still trying to suss out its approach to reusable shopping bags. "Many shoppers come to Wal-Mart and can't bring enough bags to accommodate their purchases. Also there is the issue of [reusable bags' effect on] efficiency at the checkout. So how do you get around the productivity issue and get customers to bring their own bags?"
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