Greenest Brands

Many companies have adopted sustainable practices and technology, realizing that consumers prefer doing business with environmentally responsible companies. But some brands (and companies) appear greener than others in the minds of consumers. Branding firm Landor Associates surveyed some 9,000 consumers worldwide to find out which ten companies they find the greenest.

Click to see which companies made the list.

Posted June 14, 2010

The Swedish furniture maker has a number of initiatives to be more sustainable, including the use of recycled materials, reduced packaging materials and renewable energy for stores.

Microsoft launched Hohm, an online application for consumers that helps them get a better understanding of their home energy use and ways to reduce it. The company has also reduced energy use at its data centers.

The supermarket chain says it has reduced over 500,000 tons of carbon dioxide by cutting water and electricity use in stores since starting its environmental responsibility program in 2001.

The maker of household products such as Windex, Pledge and Glade has been tinkering with ingredients in its products to be more environmentally sound. Ziploc Evolve (pictured here), for example, uses 25 percent less plastic in a manufacturing process partly powered by wind turbines.

This skin care brand—which is a subsidy of Johnson & Johnson—encourages customers to recycle their packages or upcycle others (that can’t be recycled) by sending them to Terracycle, a company that collects the used bottles and turns them into tote bags.

The search giant fosters a green image by having its hand in a number of initiatives. They include solar panels at its headquarters, energy-saving employee perks like shared bicycles to use on its grounds and partnerships with solar companies for discounts on home installation.

The company gets its green image from pushing customers to use reusable bags and selling locally grown food. The supermarket chain recently announced that it would offer only sustainable seafood starting at the end of 2012.

Products from this personal care products manufacturer are packaged using post-consumer recycled paperboard. The brand, which is a part of Colgate-Palmolive, offsets 100 percent of the electricity use at its Maine factory through wind energy credits.

The grocery chain aims to stock its stores with locally grown fruits and vegetables that reduce the use of transportation fuel. It also uses solar panels on store rooftops and pushes consumers to use reusable bags.

The Clorox-owned brand bills its products as “earth friendly natural personal care for the greater good.” The company packages most of its goods in recyclable materials. In the case of its lip balm, Burt’s Bees eliminated the shrink-wrap that covered it, cutting down on some 1,800 miles of shrink-wrap, according to the company.