25 Big Companies That Are Going Green

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    Filed in archive Environment , Green Business by Ryan on July 29, 2008 | 31 Comments

    25 Big Companies That Are Going Green

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    The average person might believe that the worldwide push to go green is coming solely frompoliticians and concerned citizens. In fact, this is not the case! In recent years, many big-namecompanies have realized their way towards more sustainable and eco-friendly business practices.Following are 25 well-known companies that are leading the green revolution. In some caseswillingly, in other cases somewhat unwillingly, but in all cases green.

    1. Bank of America

    Bank of America is proving that eco-friendly operations can coexist with business growth.According to their corporate website , the company reduced paper use by 32% from 2000-2005,despite a 24% growth in their customer base! Bank of America also runs an internal recyclingprogram that recycles 30,000 tons of paper each year, good for saving roughly 200,000 trees foreach year of the programs operation. As if that werent enough, the company also offersemployees a $3,000 cash back reward for buying hybrid vehicles.

    2. Ceres

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    While not technically a business itself, Ceres has adv ised some of the nations biggestcorporations and investors on the environmental impact of their operations. Having billedthemselves as the largest coalition of investors, environmental and public interest organizationsin North America , the organization is primarily focused on ensuring that companies accuratelydisclose the environmental aspects of their business practices to investors and shareholders.

    Major achievements thus far include persuading Dell Computer to support national product take back legislation and convincing Bank of America to spend $20 billion on the growth of eco-friendly business practices.

    3. General Electric

    General Electrics presence on this li st might surprise you, but the steps they have taken towardgreen operations are undeniable. Since 2006, the company has sold over $12 billion of itsEcomagination products (including solar panels ). For those who are still upset at GEs pollutingof the Hudson River with polychlorinated biphenyls, the company is also making headway on an

    ambitious cleanup of that area. Barring further setbacks, the river should be cleaned up to a muchbetter state in just a couple of years!

    4. Dupont

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    Dupont is another company that has drawn the ire of green advocates for many, many years . However, it now seems that they are taking strides toward more sustainable operations. Inaddition to drastically lowering its emissions of airborne carcinogens and greenhouse gases,Dupont has appointed an ex-Greenpeace head as an adviser to the board. And true to its word,the company successfully reduced greenhouse gas emissions during the 90s by 63% far aheadof the timetable set forth in the controversial Kyoto Protocol.

    5. Innovest

    Innovest has boldly set out to reengineer the DNA of Wall Street, according to executivemanaging director Matthew J. Kiernan. As William Grieder explains in his book The Soul of Capitalism, Innovest grades publicly traded companies for such things as its track record inhazardous waste disposals and past pollution. The overall goal is to give investors a quick gaugeon the true eco-friendliness of the companies they are investing in. Interestingly, early data seemto indicate that companies with higher EcoValue rankings outperform lower ranked companiesas stocks, boasting returns 1.5 to 2.4 percent higher.

    6. McDonalds

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    Time was not long ago when McDonalds wouldnt have come within striking distance of makingthis list. However, the increasing public shift toward greener living has sent a clear signal to thepowers that be at the popular fast-food chain. Instead of ravaging the natural habitats of animals,McDonalds now works in close collaboration with PETA on systematically reforming itsbusiness practices to be more humane and friendly to the environment in which they operate.

    7. Home Depot

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    Home Depot is another ex-offender who has taken great pains to turn things around. Once theRainforest Action Network identified the company as the worlds largest retailer of old -growthwood products, demonstrations and protests unfolded at Home Depot stores around the nation.When the outcry reached the point of 45,000 customer calls and letters, the bigwigs at HomeDepot decided that enough was enough. Within months, the company rolled out a new no old -growth sales policy to ensure consumers and activists that the days of harvesting trees from old-growth rainforests were over.

    8 . Anheuser-Busch

    Most people dont expect much in the way of environmental awareness from their beer co mpany, but that hasnt stopped Anheuser -Busch from delivering. In his landmark text NaturalCapitalism, author Paul Hawken shines light on the fact that Busch now saves 21 millionpounds of metal per year by trimming an eigth of an inch off the diameter of its beer cans. The

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    best news for beer enthusiasts? The trimming doesnt reduce the volume of beer one bit, saysHawken.

    9. Pratt & Whitney

    Pratt & Whitney offers another inspiring story of how much raw materials can be saved andpollution avoided with a little old-fashioned, hard- nosed ingenuity. As Natural Capitalism

    explains, Pratt & Whitney used to scrap 90 percent of its ingots (thats right, almost all) in theprocess of manufacturing jet engine blades. This massive waste continued unabated untilsomeone at Pratt & Whitney had the bright idea to have the supplier simply cast the ingots intoready-made blade-like shapes. This one seemingly small change proved to be transformative, andhas lowered the amount of wasted ingots and factory emissions a great deal.

    10. Starbucks

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    Starbucks has green advocates smiling about its bean -to-cup approach, which stresses topefficiency at each link of its global supply chain. By all measures the program appears to be agreat success, with the companys decision to use coffee cup sleeves made of recycled papersaving roughly 78,000 trees per year since 2006. Starbucks has also partnered up with many

    environmental organizations , from Conservation International to the Earthwatch Institute, inefforts to do right by the communities it operates in.

    11. Wal-Mart

    Possibly the most hated name in the entire green movement, Wal-Mart is now positioned tomake all but the most dogmatic of its detractors eat their words. According to Sustainablog, Wal-Mart has launched an ambitious long-term plan to eventually power each and every one its storesusing 100% renewable energ y sources. According to the companys executives, Wal -Mart is

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    committed to using its waste-eliminating corporate philosophy to make its own operations moreeco-friendly than ever.

    12. Tesla Motors

    Funded by ex-Google and PayPal executives, Tesla Motors is a venture aimed at proving thatcars can be environmentally friendly without sacrificing the blazing speed and power enthusiastslove. A visit to their website reveals a tantalizing glimpse of whats ahead: a 100% electricallypowered car that goes from 0-60 in 3.9 seconds, getting the equivalent of 256MPG from itselectric charge. The overall cost of running this sleek, green driving machine? A paltry 2 centsper mile

    13. Coca-Cola

    Coca-Cola has narrowed down 3 environmental goals on which to focus their efforts: waterstewardship, sustainable packaging, and climate & energy protection. Each of these initiatives is

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    detailed and explained at their corporate website. In just a few years, Coca-Cola has alreadygotten itself involved in community recycling programs and a complete, sustainability-focusedoverhaul of its packaging designs.

    14. Enterprise Rent-A-Car

    A CNN Money piece tells the story of Enterprise Rent-A- Cars foray into more sustainable business practices. Since January 2008, Enterprise has boasted the worlds largest fleet of fuel -efficient vehicles, over 440,000 of which offer drivers 28MPG or better for highway travel.Roughly 5,000 of those vehicles are gas/electric hybrids, while another 73,000 have the option of being powered on E85 ethanol. In addition to these efforts, Enterprise has promised to plant fiftymillion trees across Americas forests.

    15. Toyota

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    Toyota is famous for offering the Prius, the worlds first mass -market hybrid vehicle. Thepopular car is now sold in over 40 countries The Environmental Protection Agency hasrecognized Toyotas efforts as well , crowning the Prius and its 48MPG as the most fuel-efficientcar available for purchase in the U.S. Similar authorities in the United Kingdom have applaudedthe Prius, namely the UK Department of Transport, who ranked the vehicle as the third least

    carbon-emitting auto in the country.

    16. Dell

    Computer equipment has historically been one of the most difficult and costly products to safelydispose of. Fortunately, one of the major leaders in that field has stepped forward to make thetask less daunting. Through its no computer should go to waste recycling program , Dell allowscustomers to return any Dell-branded product back to the company for free. The company haseven gone so far as to establish programs that accept computers, monitors, or printers from other

    companies for safe disposal, as well.

    17. Target

    http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/best/bestworstNF.shtmlhttp://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/best/bestworstNF.shtmlhttp://www.dft.gov.uk/ActOnCO2/index.php?q=best_on_co2_rankingshttp://www.dft.gov.uk/ActOnCO2/index.php?q=best_on_co2_rankingshttp://www.dft.gov.uk/ActOnCO2/index.php?q=best_on_co2_rankingshttp://www.dft.gov.uk/ActOnCO2/index.php?q=best_on_co2_rankingshttp://www.dell.com/content/topics/global.aspx/about_dell/values/environment/recycling_main?%7Eck=ln&c=us&l=en&lnki=0&s=corphttp://www.dell.com/content/topics/global.aspx/about_dell/values/environment/recycling_main?%7Eck=ln&c=us&l=en&lnki=0&s=corphttp://www.dell.com/content/topics/global.aspx/about_dell/values/environment/recycling_main?%7Eck=ln&c=us&l=en&lnki=0&s=corphttp://www.dell.com/content/topics/global.aspx/about_dell/values/environment/recycling_main?%7Eck=ln&c=us&l=en&lnki=0&s=corphttp://www.dft.gov.uk/ActOnCO2/index.php?q=best_on_co2_rankingshttp://www.dft.gov.uk/ActOnCO2/index.php?q=best_on_co2_rankingshttp://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/best/bestworstNF.shtml
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    While many retailers are launching plans to greenify their operations, Target is taking the fightstraight to its store shelves. In May 2008, the company announced plans to launch an eco -clothing line at Barneys, New York. Done in collaboration with eco -fashion designer RoganGregory, the clothing line is said to have been created using dynamic fabrics and has beenavailable at Target locations since the end of May.

    18. Brooks

    http://www.psfk.com/2008/05/target-to-debut-new-eco-clothing-line-at-barneys.htmlhttp://www.psfk.com/2008/05/target-to-debut-new-eco-clothing-line-at-barneys.htmlhttp://www.psfk.com/2008/05/target-to-debut-new-eco-clothing-line-at-barneys.htmlhttp://www.psfk.com/2008/05/target-to-debut-new-eco-clothing-line-at-barneys.htmlhttp://www.psfk.com/2008/05/target-to-debut-new-eco-clothing-line-at-barneys.htmlhttp://www.psfk.com/2008/05/target-to-debut-new-eco-clothing-line-at-barneys.htmlhttp://www.psfk.com/2008/05/target-to-debut-new-eco-clothing-line-at-barneys.html
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    Brooks has joined the race to go green by cleverly rolling out a completely biodegradablerunning shoe. According to a C/Net report, the $140 BioMoGo is just as durable during the timeyou wear them as any other mass- market shoe. The decomposition doesnt begin until the shoesare stored in an active enclosed landfill, at which point they will biodegrade in just 20 yearsinstead of the 1,000 years traditional, ethylene vinyl ecetate soles hang around for. If Brookspredictions are accurate, the BioMoGo will save up to 30 million pounds of landfill waste overthose same 20 years.

    19. Honda

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    According to a CNN Moneys 10 Green Giants piece , Honda has gone above and beyond in itsenvironmental duties. Going so far as to call Honda the most fuel -efficient auto company in theUS, CNN tells the story of how Honda is hard at work on the hydrogen fuel cell poweredFCX. Honda is apparently also taking steps to create an entire infrastr ucture for hydrogen,looking forward to a day when hopefully more cars will be powered by that instead of gasoline. In addition to all of this, Honda has pledged to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions by5% between 2005- 010, and thats not including th at 5% it already achieved from 2000-2005.

    20. Continental Airlines

    Continental Airlines has spent over $16 billion in the last decade to replace its entire fleet of airplanes with more fuel-efficient ones, in addition to installing fuel- saving winglets that cutemissions 5% on its 737 model aircraft. Beyond that, nitrogen oxide emissions fromContinentals busy Houston hub have been sliced by an astounding 75% since the year 2000.

    Continental might also be the only company with 12 full time staff environmentalists on thepayroll who are constantly pairing up with engine manufacturers to design greener, moreefficient processes into company operations. And is if this werent enough, the company makes apoint of sorting all of its trash to see what can be recycled.

    21. Tesco

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    This British grocery chain has enlisted its customer base in the fight to go green by offeringsavings to shoppers who bring reusable shopping bags to their stores. The company has alsoturned each of its stores into wind-powered, high-recycling, biodiesel truck delivered epicentersof environmental sustainability, running at such high efficiency Ralph Nader would be besidehimself. I n another major breakthrough, Tesco is aiming to estimate the carbon costs of eachitem it sells.

    22. S.C. Johnson

    S.C. Johnson, maker of indispensable household products such as Windex, has gone on a missionto lessen the environmental impact of its products. Through their use of the Greenlist Process (asystem that ranks your impact on the environment by evaluating the raw materials you use), thecompany has slashed 1.8 million pounds of volatile organic compounds from its Windex line of products. Another 4 million pounds of polyvinylidene chloride has been eliminated from SaranWrap, a major drop in harmful chemicals that seep into landfills when they are disposed of. Thecompany has also scaled back its coal-fired plants by working to replace them with natural gasand methane powered facilities.

    23. Goldman Sachs

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    Goldman Sachs was derided by Wall Street insiders for announcing an official environmentalpolicy in 2005, but to this point, it seems like the critics have been silenced. The ultra-profitablebank has parlayed its new found green ethos into a bona-fide profit- center. The firms $1.5million investment in solar, ethanol, and wind have paid off in spades, prompting companies likeKolhberg Kravis Roberts and Texas Pacific to consult Goldman on their own environmentally-focused projects. It is also said that many of the banks employees and executives are proud,hybrid-driving motorists.

    24. Hewlett-Packard

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    Another computing company staking its claim to greener pastures is Hewlett Packard. The

    company has gotten out in front of the computer disposal issue by owning and operatingenormous e -waste recycling plants that shred discarded, obsolete computer products into rawmaterials that can be recycled into the industrial food chain. HP has also agreed to take back computer equipment of all brands, and taken steps to ensure that its own products are 100%recyclable in the manner discussed above. Furthermore, the company has promised to lower itsenergy consumption a full 20% by the year 2010.

    25. TJX Companies

    The TJX Companies (such as TJ Maxx, Marshalls, HomeGoods, an d Bobs) have kept their eyeon environmentally sound business practices long before it was politically correct to do so. Asearly as 1988, TJX became an early adopter of electronic ballast technology, a practice thatsignificantly lowered the use of elect ricity in the companys stores. TJX also prioritizes lightingconservation at its distribution centers, which use T5 fluorescent bulbs that use 50% less powerthan non- fluorescents. Beyond lighting, TJXs distribution centers are purposely structured torecycle the corrugated carboard that comes in from vendors. According to the companys

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    website , virtually all our vendor corrugated cardboard is recycled or refused at our distributioncente rs.

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