Corporate green ranking points to some lessons

For those interested in learning about how some of world’s biggest corporations are doing at being green, take a look at Newsweek’s new green rankings of America’s biggest companies. Among the top five are companies I’ve interviewed or highlighted here before, including a post about Intel and a post on IBM.

The Newsweek list is good reading for anyone interested in learning about the green initiatives of other companies. It’s also notable that many of the highest ranking companies are either manufacturing companies or IT companies with manufacturing and supply chain arms (like HP and IBM). Only one financial services firm made the Top 10, for instance, though services companies did better on the “environmental impact” grading of the overall list. So I think the list proves manufacturers can be leaders when it comes to sustainability.

Making a list like this can take some long-term commitment. According to the list, IBM’s formal environmental policies date back to 1971. The “reputation” score within the list is also something that companies need to work at consistently. Looked at another way, being well-regarded for sustainability is a long-term goal that needs to look well beyond the bounds of regulatory compliance. I’m sure compliance with environmental regulations like ROHS (the European Union’s Restriction on Hazardous Substances directive) has helped some high-tech manufacturers become greener, but it seems to me that green leadership is a long-term effort that truly has to achieve measurable reductions in areas like greenhouse gas emissions or water use to gain notice–and to get funded by the companies–also has had to have brought plenty of bottom line benefits along the way.