The Top 5 Greenest Companies in the World (According to Newsweek)

There are many companies in the world who are involved in making their workplace a greener place to be.   Many have succeeded and some are still climbing up the ladder.  How green a company is, is based on parameters that include energy efficiency, waste management and water resource utilization.  This article is based on the research of two leading research organizations: one is Trucost and the other is Sustainalytics.  They both have participated to provide data for which the global rankings are derived.

The selection of top companies was based on their market capitalization, revenue and head count of employees.  The ranking is derived from green scores.  The green score is decided on the basis of 3 main parameters which are: environmental impact score, environmental management score and environmental disclosure score.

• Environmental impact score:  This is a quantitative, thorough and standardized measurement of overall impact on the environment.  There are around 700 metrics involved among which the most important are: the emission of the top 9 greenhouse gases, garbage disposal, water usage efficiency and emissions that contribute to acid rain and smog.
• Environmental management score:  It’s derived from approximately 12 different factors like management systems, addressing environmental policies, programs and certifications, targets to reduce emissions and maximizing the use of renewable energy.
• Environmental disclosure score:  It is the company’s transparency in regard to environmental performance.  This score reflects the amount of environmental impact that the company is disclosing, which is relevant to its business operation.

Based on these scores, the top 5 greenest companies in the world are:

1.  Santander Brazil:  This is a Brazilian company involved in financial services and it has been ranked no. 1 on the list with green score of 85.7.   Their environmental impact score is 88.5, their environmental management score is 88.4 and their environmental disclosure score is 61.5.  The company moved from rank #17 last year to rank #1, which is a significant improvement in the terms of going green.

2.  Wipro:  An Indian company involved in information technology and the services industry. It has been ranked #2 on the list with a green score of 85.4, an environmental impact score of 70.2, an environmental management score of 100 and an environmental disclosure score of 88.3. Last year Wipro was sitting at #35 and it has moved 33 steps above to #2.

3.  Bradesco: Again we’ve got a Brazilian company in the top 5. They deal in financial services and have been ranked 3rd on the list this year.  Their green score is 83.7, with an environmental management score of 75.9, an environmental impact score of 87.9 and an environmental disclosure score of 99.9.  Last year they were ranked #4.

4.  IBM:  They deal in hardware, information technology and services and have been ranked #4 this year.  Their green score is 82.9 with an environmental impact core of 78.9, an environmental management score of and an environmental disclosure score of 82.9.  They have slipped from their #2 position last year while developing nations have increased their rankings.

5.  National Australia Bank:  This is an Australian financial institution that enjoys the 5th spot on the list.  They have slipped 2 places down from last year when they were in 3rd place.  Their green score is 82.7 with an environmental management score of 79.5, an environmental impact score of 82 and and environmental disclosure score of 99.8.

Author Bio: Evie Tracy is a writer and one very enthusiastic environmentalist. Apart from writing DIY guides and home improvement tips, she is very much concerned about creating awareness about environment. Her topics include saving energy, teaching behavioral changes, foam insulation installation , and green buildings.