Going green is a must for every business today. A few years ago, businesses around the world talked about growth, competition, the stock market. While this is still an everyday topic in our ever-evolving and evolving economy, all sorts of new problems have appeared on the horizon.
Climate change is happening, governments around the world have set more or less ambitious targets to ‘win the battle against climate change’, energy resources may be becoming scarcer faster than we believed a decade ago, energy prices are continuing to rise – and the pressure is growing on the economy, in other words: on companies of every size and every industry.
A few years ago, ‘going green’ might have been an interesting business trend – trendy and luxury businesses jumped on the green bandwagon, but today it seems as though it is a necessity, the only possibility for surviving as a business. Environmentally friendly targets are as important as sales targets. Going green may be good for your reputation as a business (low carbon footprint equals today’s performance-based awards). However, it is no coincidence that the most successful businesses in the world are also the greenest. After all, energy efficiency can take you a long way.
So let’s take a look at the 5 greenest companies in the world, and what we can learn from them.
1). Munich Reinsurance Group
It’s a well-known cliché that efficiency is the most German thing in the world. In terms of energy efficiency, this is absolutely true. The Munich Reinsurance Group leads the list of the most environmentally friendly businesses in the world. Already in 1976 the company started with its own research on climate change, at that time most companies did not even have a clear idea of what climate change really means. Since then the company has set high standards and targets and in 2009 all efforts paid off: the German headquarters achieved complete carbon neutrality.
Lesson No. 1: research and proactive thinking will take you far when it comes to beating your competition.
2). IBM
The Munich Reinsurance Group has big competitors when it comes to environmental friendliness. Several sources identify IBM as the most environmentally friendly company in the world. This list is highly dependent on which classification criteria are used. In fact, IBM implemented its first attempt to become greener even earlier, in 1971. Between 1990 and 2000 the company was able to reduce its electricity consumption by 5.1 billion kilowatt hours, in other words, enough electricity for an entire medium-sized city.
Amount business energy use is a key factor for any business and you can benefit from two positive effects. You’ll be more environmentally friendly, which is good for your reputation, but you can also save a lot of money.
Lesson No. 2: Simple and immediate changes, such as saving energy wherever possible, can make a big difference in the long run.
3). IKEA
We all love this Swedish company for many reasons and we all know that Scandinavia is generally a green and eco-friendly place. Faced with harsh criticism in the past, IKEA is quick to react and has been producing furniture in a very sustainable way for many years. The company went a step further, focusing not only on sustainable forestry but implementing changes across all stores. They only use and sell energy saving lamps in their stores which are well known and popular all over the world.
Lesson No 3: Even if you are popular, you should listen to criticism and make changes accordingly. This will further increase your popularity and you can show your customers how much you care.
4). Yahoo
The internet giant is a source of information in every way. They have a dedicated green site where they provide their 600 million users with valuable tips on how to live a greener life. This site is very popular and many call it the best source for environmental tips. However, they don’t just educate their users, they also act according to their own advice – which may be obvious but is more often than not the exception. Their new data center in New York is a exemplar for energy efficiency: 95% less water and 40% less energy is used compared to similar buildings.
Lesson No. 4: Educating your audience is great, but nearly useless if you don’t serve as a role model yourself.
5). Johnson and Johnson
In 2011, Johnson and Johnson announced a very ambitious goal: In 4 years they want to be the most socially responsible organization in the world. We still have to wait another 2 years to see if they will succeed or not, but in the meantime they are doing a very good job on the environmental front: They are already the second largest user of solar power in the US. More than 50% of all the energy they use comes from renewable energy sources, such as solar, wind and biomass.
Lesson No. 5: Set ambitious goals – but don’t just focus on them.
We hope these examples can give you some inspiration and motivation. There are more possibilities to go green than you might think. Some businesses even go so far as to identify their own green resolutions. With July coming soon, maybe it’s time to check if you have one stuck on your energy resolution.
