Great Green Idea: Green Products: Greenest Companies

Greenest Companies

By Jillian Fellows

In a financial world where implementing green policies has become smart business, companies around the country are vying for the title of "greenest." Corporations dealing in every market have become powerful advocates for green business and these five are among the leaders.

A surprising inclusion on this list, the sportswear and equipment supplier Nike can not only talk the talk, they can walk the walk as well. Nike is dedicated to being as sustainable and efficient as possible in every step of their manufacturing. There are several policies in place, such as the Re-Use program that collects old shoes and recycles the material to create new products, which demonstrate Nike's commitment to product efficiency. Nike has also shown interest in energy efficiency as demonstrated by their headquarters in Belgium and the Netherlands which are run completely on renewable energy. Nike has also shown an interest in long term plans by setting a goal for reaching carbon neutrality by 2015. Because Nike is such a big name in business and it is so easily recognizable by the consumers, they have the opportunity to showcase green business practices to a worldwide audience, like they did at the 2010 FIFA World Cup when 9 teams wore Nike eco-friendly jersey made from recycle polyester.

Adobe Systems is a well-known computer software company that has gone above and beyond to become a green business. Adobe focuses on three areas of operation to incorporate environmentally friendly policies; office building operations, waste management, and product packaging. Adobe has four LEED Platinum-certified buildings, which makes Adobe a world leader in building sustainability. Their waste management program includes an extremely active recycling and composting campaign. At their headquarters in San Jose, Calif., 97% of the company's solid waste is diverted from landfill due to their program. Adobe has also initiated over 70 energy and conservation projects, including water and electricity usage. Finally, since establishing PDF as an ISO standard, Adobe has become the world's leading promoter of paperless business, showing that Adobe Systems is a truly green business.

Whole Foods Market is an organic foods supermarket chain that takes their eco-friendly message to heart. Beyond advocating the organic food market, one of the most impressive environmental policies Whole Foods has initiated is its wind-energy program Whole Foods was the first major U.S. corporation to buy enough wind-energy to offset 100% of its electricity use and they are now making strides in solar power and biofuels at some of their locations. Whole Foods has implemented an extensive composting program, reducing their landfill waste by 75%. Whole Foods is also the owner of the first supermarket designed in accordance with LEED standard, as their Silver-certified store in Sarasota, Florida will attest to. Whole Foods is clearly dedicated to being a true green business.

Johnson & Johnson is an anomaly among green businesses. While most companies have only started looking for green solutions in the last 10 or so years, Johnson & Johnson has had environmental goals in place for the past 25 years. Most of Johnson & Johnson's policies revolve around climate change. Their goal of reducing carbon emissions 7% based on 1990 levels by 2010 was not only met, but exceeded by 2006. Over the years, Johnson & Johnson has also reduced their hazardous and nonhazardous waste beyond their set goals. To show their dedication to renewable energy, Johnson & Johnson are the second largest corporate user of solar power in the U.S. Outside operations, Johnson & Johnson has shown they are true leaders in green business through their partnership with the EPA and by co-founding the Green Power program.

At the moment, Dell, the information technology company, has the distinction of being the "greenest". They were ranked as number one in Newsweek's 2010 Green Rankings. Dell is a shining example of how to implement green policies into every aspect of a business while continuing to be successful. One part of Dell's success can be attributed to their lofty goals. In 2008, the company announced that they would reduce their carbon emissions 40% by 2015 and is well on their way to accomplishing their goal. Dell has also begun incorporating environmentally friendly ideas into their products. Dell's laptops and desktops use 25% less energy now than they did in 2005, which has saved their customers more than $5 billion in energy costs. Dell also has a very comprehensive recycling program in place. Dell takes back and recycles any of its products for free, demonstrating how the company takes responsibility for electronic waste. To top it off, eight of Dell's facilities run completely on renewable power and the company is one of the top five purchasers of renewable energy in the U.S.

Each of these five businesses has not only had success through implementing green policies into their companies, they have thrived. In the near future, running a corporation on renewable energy and having company-wide recycling programs in place will be the norm, but for now, these businesses are leading the way and showing how green a future the financial world can have.