The world’s largest retailer may not be the first organization that comes to mind when you think about sustainability, environmental protection, and conservation. Nonetheless, Walmart has become a green force to reckon with in recent years.

This is potentially world-changing, given that Walmart, which has 11,300 stores around the world and employs more people than anybody but the US government and the Chinese Red Army, sells to millions of people every day. Its shoppers will happily buy green products as long as they are available and affordable – and that’s what Walmart is doing its best to achieve. As one person put it: “Plenty of places sell fair-trade coffee, for example. Only Wal-Mart sells it for $4.71 a pound.”