List hands out props for kinder, greener capitalism
My husband ran out to play with his motorcycle so I can indulge my blog-reading interests for a little while. I'm poking around for fun green insight written by others because I'm (frankly) feeling too lazy to convert my pile of notes into some blog entries. Saving that for Sunday night.
Anyway, for those of you with list-lust, I bring you The Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World!
This isn't strictly a "green" list. Rather, the ratings (compiled by Canadian magazine CorporateKnights and Innovest Strategic Value Advisors) look at environmental, social AND governance policies. Moreover, the ratings aren't based on absolute performance, they look at companies in relationship to their peer group. Here's the frequently asked questions page for a bit more detail.
Anyway, I found it fascinating that there were only NINE (that's right, fewer than 10) Information Technology companies on said list. Yes, yes, you'll argue, that's because the ranking looks at all industries. And, yes, it doesn't take into account all the smaller companies based solely in the United States that are pouring millions into green-ifying both their tech and their corporate environments. Still, I found it striking that some of the biggest technology titans -- including IBM, Microsoft and Google -- did not make this list. Plus, considering what a big part of our lives technology has become, it's a little unsettling that more tech companies didn't make it. I wonder if there was some kind of cap.
I actually did my own research on some of the U.S. tech companies about a year ago, rating them according to their various internal and external green tech initiatives. Here's that story, which I credit with getting me started o nthis blog. Probably worth an update, don't you think?
Who gets props on the Sustainable Companies list? Here are the Information Technology players: Advanced Micro Devices, Agilent Technologies, Electrocomponents PLC, Hewlett-Packard, Intel, Nokia, Ricoh, SAP and Tietonator OYJ. Honestly, I don't know two of them, which is kind of exciting, because maybe studying their corporate philosophies will provide some constructive ideas for managers here state-side.