Surprise! It’s the greenest firms shortlist!

While you can never place too much trust in the ubiquitous list features, they’re far too tempting to resist dipping into. Just take this week’s biggie list from respected periodical Newsweek: the top 500 greenest firms. How could an eco-writer resist getting a galumphing eyeful of wind farming, manure-spreading welly-boot wearing activists, all doing their best to get ahead in the business world?

Well, it’s not quite what you’d expect. Newsweek, venerable institution that it is, isn’t going to get bogged down with the small players here. They’re talking big: the global companies that affect everyone. When you think about it, even the smallest move they make towards greening themselves has enormous repercussions: you’ve got to leave your prejudices behind and welcome them in.

Who’d have thought, for instance, that Starbucks (no. 10) are the greenest builders in the leisure industry? Or that the largest purchaser of renewable energy is actually Intel? And when we say purchaser, think BIG: their spend is the equivalent of taking nearly 200,000 cars off the road every year.

There’s even praise for sportswear giant Nike (no. 7), who now use organic cotton, have stripped waste from their manufacturing process and also launched an environmentally-sound basketball shoe. They even have a environmental code of conduct that factories in 52 different countries must abide by. For a brand that’s had its fair share of criticism from the greens over the years, it’s surprising. And it also makes you feel much better about how good that swoosh trackie makes you feel on a Sunday morning.

Ed Chipperfield

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