What Efforts Are Being Made to Help?

As discussed in the State of the World Report and at worldwatch.org, efforts by leading industrial companies have greatly helped promote progress and change.

Environmental Sustainability Index

The Environmental Sustainablity Index is based on a project developed by the Environmental Task Force of the Global Leaders for Tomorrow of the World Economic Forum, in collaboration with the Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy and the Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN) at Columbia University. The index is a measure of overall progress towards environmental sustainability developed for 122 countries.

The ESI scores are based upon a set of 22 core "indicators," each of which combines two to six variables for a total of 67 underlying variables. The ESI permits cross-national comparisons of environmental progress in a systematic and quantitative fashion. It represents a first step towards a more analytically driven approach to environmental decision making.
Learn more by visiting the Environmental Sustainability Index website

Advances in Corporate Social Responsibility

The Global Business Responsibility Resource Center, a vast resource covering the full spectrum of corporate social responsibility issues, helps "companies achieve sustained commercial success in ways that honor high ethical standards and benefit people, communities, and the environment."

An "in depth report" on the environment available on the center’s website, provides a current list of top "leadership examples" in the area of corporate social responsibility. These companies are "intended to represent innovation, higher than average commitment, unusual industry practice or a comprehensive approach to this issue."

The following are examples of some of the most recent and impressive "green" corporate practices:

British Petroleum (BP) has committed to assessing its business activity against a "triple bottom line" that embraces economic prosperity, environmental protection and social equity. The company's business plans include measurable health, safety and environmental performance targets.

Just a few of BP Amoco’s amazing efforts:

• The company has pledged to reduce its emissions of greenhouse gases by 10 percent from a 1990 baseline over the period to 2010.
• Managers are evaluated on not only their financial performance but on how well they do at cutting emissions.
• The company is developing a low-sulfur gasoline as part of an effort to cut vehicle pollution and plans to completely convert its more than 14,000 U.S. gas stations to lower-sulfur fuel by 2004

Fetzer Vineyards also evaluates all business decisions based on a triple bottom line of economics, environment and social equity.

Just a few of Fetzer Vineywards’ amazing efforts:

• Some From 1991 to 1999, Fetzer reduced its waste going into landfills by 93 percent.
• The company is committed to using 100 percent organic grapes by 2010 and producing zero waste by 2009.
• Fetzer's environmental commitment extends to its buildings: its office building is constructed of rammed earth obtained from the building site, and the roof is made of recycled wood and steel

IKEA adopted a systematic approach to its environmental policies starting in the early 1990s. After performing environmental audits to identify its areas of greatest impact, IKEA developed an environmental action plan, which includes environmental training for all IKEA coworkers.

Just a few of IKEA’s amazing efforts:

• All IKEA suppliers are required to have an environmental policy, establish measurable targets for reducing environmental impacts, and develop a plan for meeting those targets
• IKEA's buyers take training courses to learn more about the environmental impacts of the materials they specify.
• IKEA has committed not to use solid wood from intact natural forests unless they are certified to be sustainably harvested
• La Constancia, El Salvador's largest beverage company, is recognized as a leader in the area of environmental responsibility in El Salvador because of its commitment to incorporate environmental concerns into its daily business operations.

Just a few of La Constancia’s amazing efforts:

• The company has established a "Recycling Program" that operates on a national level to educate consumers on how to properly dispose of cans and bottles.
• The company has initiated another program to donate more than 5000 solid waste containers to more than 50 cities and tourists sites in order to reduce the harmful effects of solid waste.
• The company has initiated a "Keep Your Beaches Clean" campaign to help preserve El Salvador's natural landscapes.
• The company sponsors the "National Environmental Award" to be given to outstanding individuals or organizations for their the protection of the environment and the "Environmental Journalism Award" to stimulate journalists to cover and investigate important environmental themes.

  Nortel’s position as an environmental leader dates to late 1991 when it became the first global electronics company to eliminate ozone-depleting CFCs from its manufacturing process.

Just a few of Nortel’s amazing efforts:

• Nortel uses an Environmental Performance Index (comparable to the Environmental Sustainability Index developed by the World Economic Forum) that integrates 25 performance parameters into a single numeric score that shows overall progress from year to year.
• The company is implementing a life-cycle management program to reduce its products' environmental impacts and is a leader in design-for-environment initiatives.

United Parcel Service

Just a few of UPS’s amazing efforts:

• As part of its commitment to reduce vehicle emissions while cutting operating costs, UPS operates the largest private fleet of compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles in the U.S.
• UPS built California's largest public-access CNG fueling station, and shares this station with local school bus companies, area cities, and community groups to promote favorable environmental practices.
• UPS is in the process of testing hybrid electric vehicle technology, which offers the potential to provide higher fuel economy while reducing vehicle emissions and maintenance requirements.
• The company's search for environmentally friendly technologies led them to reduce aircraft noise pollution and boost fuel-efficiency, making them the "quietest" major air carrier in North America.
• UPS developed an action plan to dramatically reduce the amount of natural resources needed to make its packaging. It boosted the post-consumer recycled content of its letter envelopes to 80 percent, and introduced an overnight envelope designed to be used twice, resulting in a 50 percent reduction of source material.

Environmental Policy

More and more leadership companies are integrating proactive environmental policies into their core values and missions. Follow the links below to read about the missions companies that are making the effort to show their commitment to the environment:
McDonald's Co
Novo Nordisk
Volvo
Xerox Corp