Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott Announces Ban On PVC

"Wal-Mart recently announced that it would sell organic clothes, build green stores, and phase out some petroleum-based packaging. But now CEO and eco-convert Lee Scott has taken things a step further. Beginning in 2009, the mega-chain will no longer sell any item made of PVC.

...Seems Scott has instructed his suppliers to find alternative materials for everything from lawn furniture to shower curtains. "Are we, or are we not, the world's largest corporation?" Scott reportedly thundered at a recent employee rally. "If we say no PVC, then we'll find a way." Experts estimate the gigantarific retailer's withdrawal from the PVC market could have a global economic impact in the neighborhood of $15 billion a year."

[No, not really. This story is from Grist Magazine's 2006 April Fool's issue.]