As consumers have become more and more aware of the effects that their lifestyles have on the environment as a whole, more and more companies have begun to reach out to that market. People are starting to choose the items they purchase and the companies and brands that they support based entirely on those companies’ and brands’ policies concerning the environment. Every year, Newsweek releases a report on the most environmentally friendly corporations in the world. As environmentalism and global warming garners more attention, these companies are becoming the trailblazers for a whole different kind of approach to economics and the business world. Here is a list of the top environmentally friendly companies in the United States:
Environmentally Friendly Company #1. IBM
Year after year, IBM has topped the most environmentally friendly company list. For the last decade, IBM has made environmentalism a top priority of theirs. The company is one of the most successful software, hardware and computer manufacturers in the world, and has continued to fly the banner of green awareness. The company has threw down the gauntlet in this regard and has forced their major competitors to jump on board, in order to appeal to a consumer base that is very concerned with green and environmental issues. Every year for the past 5 years, IBM’s overall green score has increased, and it looks as though that will continue on well into the future.
Environmentally Friendly Company #2. Microsoft
Microsoft is another Information Technology company, that much like IBM, respects environmental causes and seeks to make its company as green as possible. One measure they took was to reduce the amount of physical, paper-based, communications that they use in their offices and have instead opted to use electronic communications in its place. There is very little doubt that the Information Technology sector is at the forefront of environmentally friendly business models.
Environmentally Friendly Company #3. McGraw-Hill
While McGraw-Hill only ranks in the top 15 or so environmentally friendly companies, it is a unique one to add to a list because its primary business focuses on media. There are very few other media companies on the list because media has traditionally been focused on paper material, which is not very environmentally friendly. The company got on the list through its use of recycled materials and its increased focus on digital materials to spread media. The rise of e-reader devices really helped catapult McGraw-Hill into a market leader when it comes to green business practices.
Greg K. is a freelance writer for a host of environmental magazines and newspapers, as well as green web sites and environmental news blogs. He attended school for environmental law and received his Melp degree while in college. He has since gone on to pursue a career in writing about green issues and informing the public.
