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For the first time, Newsweek ranked the 500 largest U.S. corporations in terms of their greenness, or commitment to environmental, energy and conservation issues.
Newsweek spent the last year working with research firms KLD Research & Analytics, Trucost and CorporateRegister.com to evaluate companies’ usage, emissions, policies and reputation. Each category is then combined to give a green score for each company.
Top 5 Green Companies
- Hewlett-Packard
Hewlett-Packard ranked first in its industry sector and overall for its green score, third overall for green policies and performance and 175th for its environmental impact score. Newsweek and its researchers found HP had strong programs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and was the first major IT company to report emissions related to its supply chain. They also noted that HP has begun to remove toxic substances from its products, though it remains on Greenpeace’s radar.
- Dell
Dell ranked first in the green policies and performance category among all 500 surveyed companies, second in its industry sector and overall on the green score, and 160th for environmental impact. Dell’s use of 100 percent renewable energy at its headquarters helped to rank it fourth out of the top U.S. corporate users of renewable energy. Newsweek also noted that Dell became carbon neutral in 2008 by using offsets and other methods and will maintain its carbon neutrality for five years. Dell is also a leader in product take-back and recycling programs, it said.
- Johnson & Johnson
Johnson & Johnson ranked third overall on its green score, second for green policies and performance and 217th for environmental impact. Although the company has not pledged to become carbon neutral, Newsweek and its researchers found that Johnson & Johnson’s commitment to climate change rare for its peer group. The company focuses on environmental management and has the largest fleet of hybrid vehicles in the world, but is a top emitter of toxic pollutants compared to other companies in its industry.
- Intel
Intel was fourth overall on its green score, sixth for green policies and performance and 268th for environmental impact. Intel is the largest corporate purchaser of renewable energy in the United States, the ranking found, and energy efficiency is a major focus of product development. Intel also leads in reducing waste and releases of toxic substances, Newsweek said.
- IBM
IBM ranked fifth overall for its green score, eighth as to green policies and performance and 115th on environmental impact. IBM has had formal environmental policies since 1971, including ensuring that all new employees undergo environmental awareness training. Newsweek adds that IBM is the only company to receive the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Climate Protection Award twice based on IBM’s carbon commitment.
Hudson City Bancorp ranked No. 1 in the environmental impact category. Wells Fargo, Citigroup and Travelers are Newsweek’s top three green companies in the bank and insurance sector. Newsweek named Coca-Cola Enterprises, Coca-Cola and Brown-Forman the top three in the food and beverage industry. Baxter International, Medtronic and Becton Dickinson made it to the top three spots in the healthcare sector.
KLD Research & Analytics tracks environmental, social and governance data on companies around the world. Trucost is in the business of measuring quantitative environmental performance. CorporateRegister.com is the world's largest online directory of social responsibility, sustainability and environmental reporting.
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