Support Green Companies – What The Greenest 10 Do
Newsweek published their list of the Top 10 Greenest Companies in the World in 2014 – see the full list here.
Living green means, amongst other things, that you support green companies who operate sustainably. Now you know who the companies are, here’s what they do – starting with the greenest (check out my original post for the survey details, and reasons why it’s not perfect).
Vivendi is a French media and telecommunications giant. Its subsidiaries include:
- Canal+, the leading pay-television service in France (and on my little tropical island)
- SFR, one of France’s four mobile telecommunication companies; and
- Universal Music Group, the world’s top music producer, with artists such as Mariah Carey and Maroon 5 in its stable.
Allergan is a global pharmaceutical company best known as the manufacturer of Botox, the neurotoxin injection used to temporarily smooth facial wrinkles. It also invented the Lap-band, a surgical weight-loss device.
If you’re reading this on a computer then I’m sure you know Adobe. Adobe is famous for its Adobe Reader which lets you read .pdf files, and it’s Flash Player for animations and movies. Adobe PhotoShop is the leader in photo editing software, and Adobe Dreamweaver is used for web design.
Kering is a French multinational specializing in luxury and sports apparel and accessories. It designs, manufactures and markets the products of brands such as Gucci, Alexander McQueen and Puma. Brands such as Gucci promote conspicuous consumption and are thus not green, so it’s interesting that the company utilises sustainable practices.
NTT Docomo is Japan’s largest mobile service provider. More than 60 million customers in Japan use Docomo’s services.
Ecolab’s water, hygiene and energy technologies help other companies improve their resource efficiency and environmental performance. For instance, Ecolab’s DryExx conveyor management system, which replaces water with dry lubricants in bottling plants, is being used by PepsiCo to meet its new water-efficiency targets. PepsiCo and its competitors are definitely not green companies, so it’s good to know they want to improve their water consumption.
Stockholm-based Atlas Copco provides industrial tools, air compressors, and construction and mining equipment. Again, not necessarily green end uses, but manufactured using sustainable methodologies.
Biogen IDEC develops therapies for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, autoimmune disorders and cancer. Hopefully, we’ll never have to use their products.
England–based Compass Group is the world’s largest food and support services provider. Through its brand names, such as Chartwell and Bon Appétit (among others), it serves food and related services to schools, hospitals and businesses. The Compass Group also operates Levy Restaurants, which serves food in sports stadiums and arenas around the world.
Schneider Electric is a French multinational whose products and services help its customers improve the energy efficiency in their own homes and businesses. It sells a line of products called Green Premium Offers that are made without any hazardous and harmful chemicals or materials.
Now that you know what the Top 10 Companies actually do, you can support green comanies – i.e. “vote” for them with your wallet. Not all of them make consumer goods, so if you work for or own businesses, consider the green-ness of your supply chain.
It makes sense to support green companies. It’s the way the world has to go!
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