First step of the sustainability index is the "15 questions". Here's sample questions. The initial index is not too onerous on small companies - allows flexibility in response.

Is it Walmart's role to set and audit the standards?
Why is Walmart doing this?

• To make money - Walmart has found that sustainability drives profit
• Big vision - wants to survive another generation and sustainability is the differentiator

SI doesn't go that far back - just one step back to the supply.

• expectation that there will be a knock-on effect

Standards?

• what is appropriate amount?
• can be helpful - clear rules guide decisions, simplify production
• is there a happy medium
• yes, involved bodies should work together to create a working standard
• US is behind Europe other regions on standard setting.

One approach - focus on making systems that run open source then let customers decide what they want in it.

SI will be competing against other standards that we are designing our products to.

• we need to be able to address conflicts in standards
• fear of multiple standards, by country, by retailer.
• conflicts already exist in tech sector

Who should enforce. does it have to have gov't enforcement?

Walmart provided "sustainable jewelry" and ability to track origin of materials for each piece.

LCA analysis very sensitive to initial inputs. Do 2 analyses on same product and get very different result
Another issue is competitive advantage - if we have competitive advantage around a particular alloy we don't want it publicly released.
LCA can be barrier to business entrance for complicated products - small vendors won't be able to afford analysis